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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 116 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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. march — the month
  4. court — of a king
  5. march — the month
  6. pop — to visit
  7. firm — steady
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. spell — letters
  11. march — music
  12. mark — a trace
  13. firm — decided
  14. pop — soda
  15. firm — a company
  16. court — of law
  17. spell — a short time
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. spell — magic
  23. pop — music
  24. mark — a grade

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