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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. march — music
  3. face — to point toward
  4. march — the month
  5. charge — electricity
  6. roll — a list
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. court — of a king
  9. charge — a price
  10. face — part of the head
  11. face — to confront
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. court — of law
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. charge — in control
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. march — the month
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. roll — a cake
  24. tube — a container

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