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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: march · charge · fine · temple · roll · cold · court · sharp

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. fine — all right
  3. march — the month
  4. court — of a king
  5. roll — a list
  6. court — for sport
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. fine — high quality
  9. court — of law
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. roll — a cake
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. march — the month
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. charge — electricity
  16. cold — not warm
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. charge — in control
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. cold — an illness
  21. charge — a price
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. sharp — clever

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