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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. root — of a plant
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. court — for sport
  6. spell — magic
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a song
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. last — to go on
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. wound — an injury
  13. last — finally
  14. wound — an injury
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. spell — letters
  17. last — final
  18. root — the cause
  19. track — a path
  20. spell — a short time
  21. court — of law
  22. court — of a king
  23. root — of a word
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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