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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: key · court · pitcher · march · prune · pit · charge · mug

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. prune — to trim
  3. charge — electricity
  4. court — for sport
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. march — music
  7. court — of a king
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. mug — a face
  10. key — the most important part
  11. charge — in control
  12. key — in music
  13. mug — a cup
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. mug — to rob
  16. march — the month
  17. pit — in a race
  18. key — for a lock
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. court — of law
  22. charge — a price
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pit — a hole

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