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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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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: wake · cold · court · key · temple · craft · stock · ruler

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. court — for sport
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. court — of a king
  6. key — in music
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. stock — goods
  9. court — of law
  10. stock — shares
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. craft — boats
  13. cold — an illness
  14. wake — a trail
  15. cold — not warm
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. key — the most important part
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. craft — a skill
  23. key — for a lock
  24. temple — side of the head

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