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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. march — music
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. drill — army training
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. court — of law
  8. track — a song
  9. drill — a practice
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. track — to keep track
  13. march — the month
  14. track — a path
  15. march — the month
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. rush — hurry
  19. court — for sport
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. foot — a measure
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. drill — 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