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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of a king
  3. mug — a face
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — finally
  6. march — the month
  7. fine — all right
  8. prune — to trim
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mug — to rob
  12. mug — a cup
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. last — final
  15. object — an aim
  16. prune — to trim
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. object — to protest
  19. court — of law
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. march — music
  22. fine — high quality
  23. march — the month
  24. object — a thing

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