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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. court — of law
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bat — the animal
  9. march — the month
  10. fine — high quality
  11. fine — all right
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. foot — a measure
  18. mine — for digging
  19. court — for sport
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  24. mine — belonging to me

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