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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. prune — to trim
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. capital — money
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. capital — a city
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. court — of law
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — after costs
  16. court — for sport
  17. kick — in football
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. court — of a king
  20. net — in sport
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. march — the month
  23. prune — to trim
  24. capital — a big letter

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