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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: last · bear · spell · temple · rest · court · saw · stock

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. stock — shares
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. rest — a break
  6. saw — the tool
  7. spell — letters
  8. stock — goods
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. last — finally
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. spell — magic
  14. court — for sport
  15. last — final
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. last — to go on
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. rest — what's left
  20. court — of law
  21. rest — what's left
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. spell — a short time
  24. saw — the tool

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