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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. suit — to fit
  3. last — final
  4. march — music
  5. court — of a king
  6. pit — a hole
  7. object — to protest
  8. march — the month
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. last — to go on
  11. suit — in cards
  12. object — an aim
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. suit — clothes
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. pit — in a race
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. object — a thing
  19. lean — thin
  20. court — of law
  21. court — for sport
  22. lean — to bend
  23. last — finally
  24. racket — for tennis

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