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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. court — of law
  3. key — the most important part
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — rain
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. rest — what's left
  9. last — finally
  10. court — of a king
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — the underground
  15. court — for sport
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. shower — to wash
  18. last — final
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. rest — what's left
  22. key — in music
  23. last — to go on
  24. rest — a break

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com