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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. drill — army training
  4. mug — a face
  5. march — the month
  6. court — of law
  7. fine — all right
  8. court — of a king
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — a line
  11. fine — high quality
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. drill — a practice
  15. row — to paddle
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mug — a cup
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. kick — in football
  23. drill — the tool
  24. fine — a penalty

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