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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. court — of law
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. cold — an illness
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — not warm
  9. fine — high quality
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. wax — to grow
  12. fine — all right
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. march — music
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. chip — to eat
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. court — of a king
  19. march — the month
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. court — for sport
  22. march — the month
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. chip — for betting

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