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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: lean · bay · sharp · mouse · court · cold · spell · temple

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. court — of a king
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — letters
  12. court — for sport
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. cold — an illness
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. lean — thin
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. lean — to bend
  24. court — of law

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