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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. court — of a king
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. march — the month
  5. dip — to sink
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. chip — to eat
  8. root — the cause
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. root — of a plant
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. court — of law
  13. pit — in a race
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. court — for sport
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. march — the month
  19. root — of a word
  20. pit — a hole
  21. wax — to grow
  22. chip — for betting
  23. mine — for digging
  24. dip — a sauce

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