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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — for sport
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. court — of a king
  6. scale — in music
  7. tube — a container
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wound — an injury
  10. tube — the underground
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. key — in music
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. wound — an injury
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. scale — size or range
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. key — for a lock
  24. key — the most important part

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