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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: nail · straw · temple · court · trunk · ground · season · kid

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. court — of a king
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. court — for sport
  13. ground — crushed
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. season — of the year
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. court — of law
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. kid — child
  22. ground — a position
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. ground — the earth

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