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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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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: band · cell · pit · bowl · fan · court · temple · fork

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. band — a music group
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. band — a ring
  5. cell — in biology
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — in a road
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. pit — a hole
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. court — of law
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. court — for sport
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. cell — a phone
  22. pit — in a race
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — to roll

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