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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
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: mug · ball · perch · temple · cold · mark · court · chip

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. chip — for betting
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. court — of a king
  8. cold — an illness
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mug — a face
  13. cold — not warm
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ball — a great time
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. court — for sport
  19. mug — to rob
  20. court — of law
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. perch — the fish
  23. chip — to eat
  24. perch — for a bird

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