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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. rule — government
  5. court — of a king
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. mine — for digging
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. fine — all right
  14. rule — a law
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. court — for sport
  19. sharp — clever
  20. court — of law
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. fine — high quality
  24. temple — a place of worship

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