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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: court · temple · cabinet · arm · patient · last · mouse · drill

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. court — for sport
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. court — of a king
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. court — of law
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. last — to go on
  18. drill — a practice
  19. drill — army training
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. drill — the tool
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. last — final
  24. arm — part of the body

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