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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: bay · court · temple · hand · cold · bound · charge · perch

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. cold — not warm
  3. perch — the fish
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. court — for sport
  6. bound — certain
  7. court — of law
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. charge — electricity
  12. hand — help
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. court — of a king
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bound — tied together
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bound — obliged
  21. charge — in control
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — in cards
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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