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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: temple · cue · sharp · bay · cell · fine · court · clip

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. clip — for paper
  3. cell — in biology
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. court — for sport
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. cue — a signal
  12. court — of law
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. cue — a hint
  15. fine — high quality
  16. clip — to cut
  17. sharp — clever
  18. cue — for pool
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. court — of a king
  21. cell — a phone
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. clip — a video

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