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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. row — to paddle
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. court — of law
  5. march — music
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. court — of a king
  8. march — the month
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. court — for sport
  11. mug — to rob
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. wax — to grow
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. mug — a face
  16. mug — a cup
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. row — a line
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. ball — a great time
  23. fall — to drop
  24. ball — a dance

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