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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: rule · shower · bat · court · pass · mark · temple · rush

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. rush — hurry
  3. mark — a grade
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rule — a law
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. pass — a permit
  12. shower — to wash
  13. rule — government
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. court — of law
  18. mark — a trace
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. shower — rain
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. court — for sport
  23. bat — the animal
  24. rush — to hurry

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