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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: land · foot · last · bound · key · temple · court · jam

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. bound — certain
  3. court — of law
  4. last — finally
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. land — ground
  7. key — for a lock
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. court — of a king
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — final
  14. land — to come down
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. land — a country
  17. key — in music
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. key — the most important part
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bound — tied together
  22. court — for sport
  23. bound — obliged
  24. foot — a measure

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