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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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 · court · cell · spell · scale · bat · safe · mug

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. court — of law
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. court — of a king
  5. scale — size or range
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. mug — a face
  8. mug — a cup
  9. court — for sport
  10. scale — in music
  11. cell — a phone
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. mug — to rob
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — letters
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — the animal
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. cell — in biology
  23. spell — magic
  24. safe — out of danger

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