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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.

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: court · squash · fall · rash · ground · lie · temple · stick

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. fall — to drop
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. rash — a series
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. squash — the sport
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. ground — a position
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. court — of law
  17. squash — to crush
  18. fall — the season
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. ground — crushed
  21. ground — the earth
  22. fall — to drop
  23. lie — to recline
  24. rash — hasty

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