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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. cap — of ice
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. saw — the tool
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. rest — a break
  9. bore — to drill
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pop — music
  14. cap — a lid
  15. pop — soda
  16. cap — a hat
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. pop — to visit
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. court — of a king
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. court — of law
  23. bore — to tire
  24. rest — what's left

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