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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — the season
  8. court — of a king
  9. rock — music
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. rock — a stone
  12. ground — crushed
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. shower — to wash
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. ground — a position
  20. fall — to drop
  21. court — of law
  22. shower — rain
  23. ground — the earth
  24. rock — to move gently

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