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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 124 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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. bulb — for light
  6. court — of a king
  7. hand — help
  8. court — of law
  9. hand — in cards
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. bulb — for light
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. game — a match
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — to be able to
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. can — a tin
  21. court — for sport
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. march — the month
  24. racket — a loud noise

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