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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: temple · pound · rule · kick · bowl · kid · scale · court

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. scale — in music
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. court — for sport
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. kid — child
  11. rule — government
  12. scale — size or range
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. kid — to tease
  18. court — of a king
  19. kick — in football
  20. pound — a weight
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rule — a law
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bowl — a football final

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