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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 120 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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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: drill · court · fork · temple · craft · firm · staff · shower

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. court — of a king
  4. fork — in a road
  5. court — of law
  6. staff — employees
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. drill — army training
  9. staff — employees
  10. firm — decided
  11. drill — a practice
  12. shower — to wash
  13. craft — a skill
  14. firm — a company
  15. craft — boats
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. firm — steady
  19. staff — a stick
  20. drill — the tool
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — rain

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