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

Word bank: drill · jam · court · club · ruler · bat · march · bowl

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. court — for sport
  3. march — music
  4. club — a group
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. march — the month
  11. court — of a king
  12. bat — the animal
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. club — for golf
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — a practice
  20. march — the month
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. club — for dancing
  23. court — of law
  24. bowl — a football final

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