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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: wind · track · court · rock · mine · chair · mate · temple

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. track — a song
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mine — for digging
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. mate — to breed
  9. wind — moving air
  10. track — a path
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. court — of law
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. court — for sport
  17. mate — a friend
  18. rock — a stone
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. mate — a partner
  21. court — of a king
  22. chair — a leader
  23. rock — music
  24. track — to keep track

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