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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.

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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spell · court · toast · temple · clip · fine

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. clip — to cut
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. fine — all right
  6. spell — magic
  7. clip — a video
  8. toast — bread
  9. court — of law
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. clip — for paper
  12. court — for sport
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — a short time
  18. court — of a king

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