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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. object — an aim
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. court — of a king
  9. scale — in music
  10. net — after costs
  11. object — to protest
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. net — for catching
  15. court — for sport
  16. tube — a container
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. tube — the underground
  20. object — a thing
  21. net — in sport
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. scale — size or range
  24. court — of law

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