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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 · temple · court · fine · land · straw · bank · snap

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. court — of a king
  5. land — a country
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. fine — all right
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. land — ground
  14. court — for sport
  15. bank — of a river
  16. court — of law
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. fine — high quality
  19. bank — for money
  20. march — the month
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. snap — to click
  23. bank — for money
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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