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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 · dip · court · march · content · rush · mark · jam

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. court — for sport
  4. rush — hurry
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. court — of law
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. court — of a king
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mark — a grade
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. content — the amount
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. dip — to sink
  19. march — music
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. content — happy
  22. march — the month
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. march — the month

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