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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. land — to come down
  3. charge — a price
  4. court — for sport
  5. land — ground
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. mark — a trace
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. charge — electricity
  12. land — a country
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. stock — shares
  16. court — of law
  17. plane — a tool
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. charge — in control
  20. stock — goods
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. court — of a king
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. mark — a grade

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