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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.

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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: toast · fan · court · content · root · march · temple · rest

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. court — of law
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. content — happy
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. root — of a word
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. root — of a plant
  9. rest — what's left
  10. march — music
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. march — the month
  13. rest — what's left
  14. march — the month
  15. court — for sport
  16. root — the cause
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. content — the amount
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. toast — bread
  21. court — of a king
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. rest — a break

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