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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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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 · cabinet · nail · temple · cold · rest · mark · kick

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. cold — an illness
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. kick — in football
  5. mark — a trace
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — of law
  8. rest — what's left
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. rest — a break
  13. rest — what's left
  14. court — for sport
  15. cold — not warm
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. mark — a grade
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. cabinet — ministers

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