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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: court · bark · march · pitch · jam · spring · press · temple

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. march — the month
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. press — a publisher
  13. court — for sport
  14. press — newspapers
  15. pitch — completely
  16. spring — of water
  17. court — of law
  18. bark — to shout
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. spring — the season
  21. press — to push
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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