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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.

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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: can · court · bank · wind · fine · season · sharp · temple

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. season — in sport
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. can — to be able to
  7. bank — for money
  8. sharp — clever
  9. fine — high quality
  10. bank — of a river
  11. wind — moving air
  12. can — a tin
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. fine — all right
  16. bank — for money
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. court — for sport
  19. season — of the year
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. wind — moving air
  22. can — a tin
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. court — of a king

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