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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: dip · court · stand · degree · pit · temple · field · fan

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. court — of law
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. dip — to sink
  8. court — of a king
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. degree — temperature
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. field — a subject
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. field — farmland
  15. court — for sport
  16. degree — an amount
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pit — in a race
  21. degree — from a university
  22. pit — a hole
  23. field — for sport
  24. stand — to bear

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