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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: tube · snap · bat · game · rest · temple · current · court

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. court — of law
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. game — wild animals
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — a break
  9. tube — the underground
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. current — electric
  12. rest — what's left
  13. snap — to click
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. current — happening now
  17. game — a match
  18. current — of water
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. court — of a king
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — a container
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. court — for sport

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