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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
468
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: temple · court · rest · file · bass · mug · tube · craft

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. court — for sport
  3. tube — the underground
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. tube — a container
  6. file — a document
  7. mug — a face
  8. court — of law
  9. rest — what's left
  10. mug — a cup
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a tool
  13. rest — a break
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. mug — to rob
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. court — of a king
  20. craft — boats
  21. rest — what's left
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the fish

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