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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. court — for sport
  4. mug — to rob
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. band — a music group
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — what's left
  9. deal — to handle
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. last — to go on
  14. wake — a trail
  15. last — final
  16. court — of a king
  17. rest — a break
  18. mug — a face
  19. last — finally
  20. band — a ring
  21. court — of law
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. mug — a cup
  24. band — a rubber band

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