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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: mate · game · pit · trunk · temple · court · file · lie

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. file — a tool
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. lie — to recline
  7. mate — to breed
  8. game — a match
  9. file — a line of people
  10. court — of law
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. game — wild animals
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — a partner
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. pit — a hole
  18. court — for sport
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. court — of a king
  23. file — a document
  24. lie — an untruth

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