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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. court — for sport
  3. shower — rain
  4. march — the month
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. march — the month
  7. court — of law
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. tear — to rip
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. cap — a hat
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. court — of a king
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. cap — a lid
  16. shower — to wash
  17. march — music
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. cap — of ice
  20. tear — from crying
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. tear — from crying

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