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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: squash · temple · court · rock · fall · lean · race · cabinet

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — to drop
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — for sport
  7. rock — a stone
  8. squash — to crush
  9. lean — thin
  10. race — the arms race
  11. squash — the sport
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. court — of law
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. race — a contest
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. race — humankind
  21. rock — music
  22. fall — the season
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. lean — to bend

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