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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. row — a line
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. row — to paddle
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. march — the month
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. march — the month
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pound — a weight
  18. court — of law
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. court — for sport
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. march — music
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. fan — a supporter

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