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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. squash — the sport
  4. mug — a cup
  5. bat — the animal
  6. charge — in control
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. court — for sport
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. bass — the fish
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. mug — to rob
  13. bass — low music
  14. charge — a price
  15. mug — a face
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. court — of law
  20. charge — electricity
  21. court — of a king
  22. squash — to crush
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bat — in an idiom

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