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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. mug — a face
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. capital — money
  6. court — for sport
  7. row — a line
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. pit — a hole
  13. suit — in cards
  14. pit — in a race
  15. capital — a city
  16. suit — clothes
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. branch — a division
  20. suit — to fit
  21. court — of a king
  22. row — to paddle
  23. mug — to rob
  24. mug — a cup

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