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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: race · court · mug · coach · clip · dip · hand · temple

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. mug — a cup
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. court — of a king
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — in cards
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. court — for sport
  9. hand — help
  10. race — humankind
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. mug — a face
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. clip — a video
  15. race — a contest
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. mug — to rob
  19. court — of law
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — to cut
  22. race — the arms race
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. dip — to sink

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