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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. staff — a stick
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. hand — in cards
  5. pass — a permit
  6. rush — hurry
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. court — of law
  9. band — a ring
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — a tin
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. can — to be able to
  15. hand — help
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. staff — employees
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. band — a music group
  20. court — for sport
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. staff — employees

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