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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: fan · band · drill · object · ground · ruler · temple · court

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. ground — crushed
  3. object — to protest
  4. court — of a king
  5. band — a music group
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. drill — the tool
  9. object — an aim
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. ground — a position
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. court — of law
  17. object — a thing
  18. court — for sport
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. drill — a practice
  24. ground — the earth

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