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

Word bank: court · mate · wound · ruler · press · temple

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of law
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — a partner
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. wound — an injury
  9. court — of a king
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. wound — an injury
  12. press — a publisher
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — to push
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. mate — to breed
  18. ruler — for measuring

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