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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. march — music
  3. stand — to bear
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. march — the month
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. court — for sport
  8. spell — letters
  9. march — the month
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — a short time
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. court — of a king
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. fall — to drop
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. fall — to drop
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. fall — the season

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