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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 120 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 · march · temple · trunk · fine · present · sharp · pop

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. present — there
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. court — for sport
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fine — all right
  11. pop — soda
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. march — the month
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — to visit
  17. present — the time now
  18. fine — high quality
  19. march — music
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. march — the month
  22. present — a gift
  23. court — of law
  24. sharp — exactly

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