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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 120 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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. court — of law
  3. pit — a hole
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bound — tied together
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. march — the month
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — magic
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. bulb — for light
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. court — of a king
  14. pit — in a race
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. bulb — for light
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bound — obliged
  21. march — the month
  22. bound — certain
  23. spell — a short time
  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