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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: jam · sharp · march · court · pop · content · perch · ball

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. court — of law
  3. pop — soda
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. march — the month
  6. court — of a king
  7. pop — music
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. content — happy
  10. perch — the fish
  11. march — music
  12. sharp — clever
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. ball — a great time
  15. march — the month
  16. ball — a dance
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — the amount
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pop — to visit
  22. court — for sport
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. jam — in traffic

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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