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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. key — in music
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. court — for sport
  5. drill — a practice
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — what's left
  8. fine — all right
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. rest — a break
  11. fine — high quality
  12. track — a path
  13. court — of a king
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — a coil
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — the most important part
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — the tool
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a song
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. spring — the season

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