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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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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: bulb · wound · court · last · rush · mark · temple · kid

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. court — of law
  3. court — for sport
  4. last — to go on
  5. mark — a trace
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. last — final
  12. court — of a king
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. kid — child
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. mark — a grade
  19. last — finally
  20. kid — to tease
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — for light

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