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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of law
  4. ball — a dance
  5. pit — in a race
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. cue — a signal
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. court — of a king
  12. ball — a great time
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. ground — a position
  15. pass — a permit
  16. cue — for pool
  17. march — the month
  18. cue — a hint
  19. ground — crushed
  20. march — the month
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. ground — the earth
  23. pass — to succeed
  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