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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. court — of law
  3. present — there
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. march — the month
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. net — in sport
  8. march — music
  9. court — for sport
  10. present — the time now
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — to visit
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bat — the animal
  15. suit — clothes
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. suit — to fit
  18. net — for catching
  19. pop — music
  20. court — of a king
  21. net — after costs
  22. present — a gift
  23. suit — in cards
  24. bat — in an idiom

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