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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: temple · mate · kick · land · last · bass · court · spell

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. land — a country
  3. court — for sport
  4. land — to come down
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — magic
  7. bass — the fish
  8. kick — in football
  9. mate — to breed
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. court — of a king
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. last — final
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. mate — a friend
  17. last — finally
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. last — to go on
  20. mate — a partner
  21. bass — low music
  22. land — ground
  23. spell — letters
  24. kick — with a leg

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