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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: face · march · court · cap · temple · bulb · season · ground

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — to confront
  4. cap — a hat
  5. face — part of the head
  6. court — for sport
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. march — music
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. ground — a position
  13. march — the month
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bulb — for light
  16. ground — crushed
  17. court — of law
  18. ground — the earth
  19. bulb — for light
  20. court — of a king
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. season — in sport
  23. march — the month
  24. cap — a lid

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