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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  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 law
  2. drill — the tool
  3. field — farmland
  4. march — the month
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. field — a subject
  8. march — the month
  9. lie — to recline
  10. charge — electricity
  11. march — music
  12. court — of a king
  13. drill — a practice
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. charge — in control
  18. pass — a permit
  19. field — for sport
  20. drill — army training
  21. charge — a price
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — an untruth
  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