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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: pop · mug · bat · land · rush · temple · court · tear

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. mug — a face
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. land — to come down
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mug — a cup
  8. court — for sport
  9. pop — music
  10. court — of a king
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. land — ground
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. pop — soda
  16. tear — from crying
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. pop — to visit
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — the animal
  21. rush — hurry
  22. mug — to rob
  23. court — of law
  24. tear — to rip

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