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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: rock · bound · sharp · stem · temple · court · row · rule

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. row — a line
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. row — to paddle
  5. bound — obliged
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. rule — a law
  10. court — for sport
  11. rule — government
  12. rock — music
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. stem — to come from
  17. sharp — clever
  18. bound — certain
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rock — a stone
  23. court — of a king
  24. bound — tied together

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