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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: mate · spring · spell · ball · court · cold · stick · temple

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. mate — a partner
  3. cold — an illness
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of law
  6. mate — a friend
  7. spell — letters
  8. cold — not warm
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — of water
  12. spell — a short time
  13. ball — a dance
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. spell — magic
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. spring — a coil
  22. mate — to breed
  23. ball — a great time
  24. court — of a king

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