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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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. court — for sport
  4. file — a tool
  5. race — the arms race
  6. march — the month
  7. ball — a great time
  8. race — humankind
  9. fine — high quality
  10. court — of a king
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a document
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. firm — a company
  15. march — the month
  16. firm — steady
  17. ball — a dance
  18. fine — all right
  19. last — final
  20. firm — decided
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. last — finally
  23. race — a contest
  24. last — to go on

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