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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: calf · march · rash · pop · court · temple · shower · ball

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. shower — rain
  3. court — for sport
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. ball — a dance
  7. shower — to wash
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. court — of law
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. march — music
  13. pop — to visit
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — hasty
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pop — soda
  18. march — the month
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. rash — a series
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. court — of a king
  23. ball — a great time
  24. march — the month

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