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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. squash — the sport
  3. march — the month
  4. pit — in a race
  5. march — the month
  6. pop — music
  7. march — music
  8. court — of law
  9. bound — obliged
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. squash — to crush
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bound — tied together
  16. pop — to visit
  17. court — for sport
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — a series
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bound — certain
  22. pop — soda
  23. rash — hasty
  24. pit — a hole

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