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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: bay · key · date · wound · court · rest · temple · mate

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. mate — a friend
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rest — what's left
  7. key — the most important part
  8. court — of a king
  9. date — the fruit
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. wound — an injury
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. rest — a break
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. key — for a lock
  18. court — of law
  19. court — for sport
  20. mate — to breed
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. mate — a partner
  24. key — in music

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