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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: temple · ground · hide · last · cue · spell · lie · court

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — the earth
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. cue — a signal
  7. court — of law
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. last — to go on
  12. cue — for pool
  13. spell — magic
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. spell — a short time
  16. last — finally
  17. last — final
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. ground — a position
  20. cue — a hint
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. spell — letters
  24. hide — animal skin

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