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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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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: march · fine · pitcher · row · bore · object · snap · court

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. march — music
  3. object — a thing
  4. row — a line
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. object — an aim
  7. court — of a king
  8. march — the month
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. object — to protest
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. court — for sport
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. march — the month
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bore — to tire
  18. fine — all right
  19. court — of law
  20. row — to paddle
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. bore — to drill
  23. snap — to click
  24. pitcher — a jug

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