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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of law
  5. rest — what's left
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. rest — what's left
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. rest — a break
  12. sharp — clever
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — in a race
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. court — of a king
  17. track — a song
  18. cold — an illness
  19. pit — a hole
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. track — to keep track
  22. cold — not warm
  23. track — a path
  24. temple — a place of worship

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