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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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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: deal · fan · clip · temple · mouse · hide · court · rest

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. clip — to cut
  5. rest — what's left
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. court — of law
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. deal — to handle
  11. clip — a video
  12. court — for sport
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. rest — a break
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. rest — what's left
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. clip — for paper
  23. court — of a king
  24. mouse — for a computer

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