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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. fine — high quality
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. last — finally
  7. perch — the fish
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. last — to go on
  12. court — of a king
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. court — for sport
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. last — final
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. fine — all right

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