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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 · mine · temple · field · wake · swing · lash · cabinet

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. swing — to play on
  3. swing — in golf
  4. field — farmland
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. mine — for digging
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. field — for sport
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. court — for sport
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. field — a subject
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. wake — a trail
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. court — of law
  23. swing — music
  24. temple — a place of worship

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