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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: racket · temple · ball · dip · pit · court · bore · bass

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. court — of law
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. bore — to tire
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. dip — to sink
  8. court — of a king
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. ball — a great time
  11. court — for sport
  12. bass — the fish
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a hole
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. ball — a dance
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bore — to drill
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bass — low music

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