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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: temple · field · game · jam · toast · present · court · snap

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. game — a match
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. present — the time now
  6. court — of a king
  7. field — farmland
  8. court — for sport
  9. field — for sport
  10. court — of law
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. present — there
  15. field — a subject
  16. present — a gift
  17. toast — bread
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. snap — to click
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. game — wild animals

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