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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.

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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. court — of law
  3. shower — rain
  4. game — wild animals
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. ground — the earth
  11. court — of a king
  12. shower — to wash
  13. ground — a position
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. rush — hurry
  18. ground — crushed
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. court — for sport
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. game — a match

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