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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
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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: object · bass · temple · chest · court · date · coach · tear

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. object — a thing
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. object — an aim
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. court — of law
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. date — the fruit
  9. court — for sport
  10. tear — from crying
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. chest — of your body
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. tear — to rip
  15. bass — low music
  16. court — of a king
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. object — to protest
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bass — the fish
  22. chest — a box
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. date — on the calendar

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