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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: hand · wave · game · court · face · temple · rule · coach

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. court — of law
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. game — a match
  5. face — to point toward
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rule — a law
  12. hand — in cards
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. court — for sport
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rule — government
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. court — of a king
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. hand — help
  21. game — wild animals
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — part of the head
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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