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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: kick · mate · tube · temple · firm · last · court · fan

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. mate — a partner
  4. court — of law
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. firm — steady
  7. mate — to breed
  8. tube — the underground
  9. last — finally
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. last — final
  12. kick — in football
  13. last — to go on
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. court — of a king
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. mate — a friend
  20. firm — decided
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — a container
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. firm — a company

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