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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. perch — the fish
  5. object — to protest
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. object — a thing
  10. band — a ring
  11. object — an aim
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. pit — in a race
  14. court — of a king
  15. game — wild animals
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. game — a match
  18. chair — a leader
  19. court — for sport
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. pit — a hole

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