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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: band · pit · temple · board · bear · court · deal · row

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bear — the animal
  3. court — of a king
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. pit — in a race
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. court — of law
  10. band — a music group
  11. pit — a hole
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a line
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. board — a committee
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. court — for sport
  22. board — to get on
  23. band — a ring
  24. deal — to handle

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