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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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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: race · file · mug · spell · temple · hide · kid · court

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. court — for sport
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. file — a line of people
  7. race — humankind
  8. spell — letters
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. spell — magic
  11. kid — child
  12. file — a document
  13. spell — a short time
  14. kid — to tease
  15. court — of a king
  16. file — a tool
  17. mug — a cup
  18. race — the arms race
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. mug — a face
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. race — a contest
  24. mug — to rob

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