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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. march — music
  3. object — to protest
  4. mark — a grade
  5. clip — to cut
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — all right
  8. staff — employees
  9. object — an aim
  10. clip — for paper
  11. court — of law
  12. staff — employees
  13. fine — high quality
  14. march — the month
  15. firm — decided
  16. object — a thing
  17. march — the month
  18. staff — a stick
  19. clip — a video
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. firm — steady
  23. firm — a company
  24. court — for sport

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