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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. court — for sport
  5. club — a group
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. march — the month
  8. snap — to click
  9. march — music
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. file — a tool
  12. pass — a permit
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a line of people
  15. court — of law
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. club — for golf
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. court — of a king
  23. club — for dancing
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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