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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mate · race · court · march · pop · present

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. mate — a partner
  3. pop — to visit
  4. mate — to breed
  5. present — a gift
  6. present — the time now
  7. march — music
  8. race — a contest
  9. present — there
  10. court — for sport
  11. pop — music
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — of law
  14. march — the month
  15. race — the arms race
  16. march — the month
  17. race — humankind
  18. mate — a friend

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