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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 120 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
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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: rush · temple · cap · court · key · tube · swing · mine

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. tube — a container
  3. court — of law
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — for sport
  8. key — in music
  9. mine — for digging
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a hat
  13. swing — in golf
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. tube — the underground
  19. swing — to play on
  20. key — for a lock
  21. cap — a lid
  22. rush — hurry
  23. key — the most important part
  24. swing — music

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