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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 120 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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. court — of law
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. track — a path
  6. court — of a king
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. track — a song
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. game — a match
  15. rash — a series
  16. court — for sport
  17. tear — to rip
  18. pitch — completely
  19. tear — from crying
  20. rule — a law
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rule — government
  23. rash — hasty
  24. track — to keep track

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