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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
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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: court · bowl · safe · face · last · temple · mouse · wound

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. wound — an injury
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — of law
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. last — to go on
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. last — final
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. face — to confront
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. face — to point toward
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. wound — an injury
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. last — finally
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. court — for sport
  24. face — part of the head

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