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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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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. march — the month
  3. court — of law
  4. rule — a law
  5. rest — what's left
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. court — of a king
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bore — to drill
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rule — government
  14. bore — to tire
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. bear — the animal
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. march — the month
  20. dip — to sink
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. march — music
  24. saw — the tool

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