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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 120 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: game · firm · tear · current · court · rock · temple · season

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — in sport
  3. firm — decided
  4. rock — music
  5. firm — a company
  6. court — of law
  7. current — electric
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. tear — to rip
  14. court — for sport
  15. rock — a stone
  16. game — a match
  17. current — of water
  18. game — wild animals
  19. firm — steady
  20. tear — from crying
  21. current — happening now
  22. court — of a king
  23. tear — from crying
  24. temple — a place of worship

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