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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · trunk · pitcher · court · perch · mate · date

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. mate — a friend
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. mate — to breed
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. mate — a partner
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of law
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. date — the fruit
  19. march — the month
  20. court — of a king
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. perch — the fish
  24. pitcher — a jug

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