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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: mark · rash · fan · temple · chair · kick · tear · court

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. tear — from crying
  5. kick — in football
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. court — for sport
  8. rash — hasty
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a leader
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rash — a series
  13. mark — a trace
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. tear — to rip
  16. court — of a king
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. mark — a grade
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. court — of law
  24. fan — to cool the air

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