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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. cap — of ice
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — a stone
  7. ground — crushed
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. ground — a position
  10. game — wild animals
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. march — music
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cap — a hat
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of a king
  18. march — the month
  19. cap — a lid
  20. march — the month
  21. game — a match
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. court — of law

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