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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. march — music
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. last — finally
  7. march — the month
  8. land — ground
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. land — a country
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — final
  15. march — the month
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — the animal
  18. land — to come down
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. court — for sport
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. kick — in football
  24. court — of a king

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