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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: temple · march · stand · net · content · court · shower · wind

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. march — the month
  4. content — the amount
  5. content — happy
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. net — after costs
  8. wind — moving air
  9. shower — to wash
  10. march — music
  11. march — the month
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. wind — moving air
  16. shower — rain
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. court — of a king
  19. stand — to bear
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. court — for sport
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — for catching
  24. court — of law

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