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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 120 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: trunk · game · temple · rule · mate · bowl · patient · court

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. court — for sport
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. game — a match
  6. game — wild animals
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. mate — to breed
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. rule — government
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. mate — a partner
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mate — a friend
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. rule — a law
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. court — of a king
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bowl — a football final

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