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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: rule · court · pitcher · march · cell · fall · mark · lie

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — a grade
  5. cell — a phone
  6. court — of law
  7. court — for sport
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. cell — in biology
  11. march — the month
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — to recline
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. fall — the season
  16. rule — a law
  17. fall — to drop
  18. march — the month
  19. fall — to drop
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. rule — government
  23. court — of a king
  24. march — music

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