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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. court — of a king
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bore — to drill
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. band — a music group
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. fork — in a road
  15. bore — to tire
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. court — for sport
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. band — a ring
  22. court — of law
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. racket — for tennis

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