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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 116 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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. march — the month
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. cell — a phone
  5. rock — a stone
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. rock — music
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. race — humankind
  13. march — music
  14. perch — the fish
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. race — the arms race
  17. cell — in biology
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. race — a contest
  21. march — the month
  22. court — for sport
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. court — of a king

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