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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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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: nail · last · ground · stick · wound · pit · temple · court

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. ground — the earth
  3. court — of law
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. wound — an injury
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of a king
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. pit — in a race
  12. wound — an injury
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — crushed
  16. last — final
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pit — a hole
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. last — finally
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. last — to go on

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