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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. court — of law
  3. court — of a king
  4. last — final
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. object — a thing
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pit — a hole
  10. root — of a word
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. root — of a plant
  13. object — an aim
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. last — to go on
  16. root — the cause
  17. pit — in a race
  18. court — for sport
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. scale — in music
  22. last — finally
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. object — to protest

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