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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: court · temple · rash · pitcher · face · march · bulb · lash

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. face — to point toward
  3. court — for sport
  4. march — the month
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bulb — for light
  9. face — to confront
  10. march — music
  11. court — of law
  12. face — part of the head
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bulb — for light
  15. rash — a series
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. rash — hasty
  19. march — the month
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. rash — on the skin

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