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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.

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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: band · chip · pit · rush · fall · snap · court · temple

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. band — a ring
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. snap — to click
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. fall — to drop
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. pit — in a race
  9. chip — for betting
  10. fall — the season
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. court — of law
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. rush — hurry
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. band — a music group
  17. chip — to eat
  18. fall — to drop
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. pit — a hole
  21. court — of a king
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. court — for sport
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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