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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of law
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — to crush
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. court — of a king
  10. saw — the tool
  11. wind — moving air
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wind — moving air
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. pit — in a race
  17. squash — the sport
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. saw — the tool
  22. stand — to bear
  23. pit — a hole
  24. stand — on your feet

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