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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 116 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: present · court · leaves · march · tube · kid · ruler · track

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. march — the month
  3. tube — a container
  4. march — music
  5. kid — to tease
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a song
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of law
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. march — the month
  13. track — a path
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. present — there
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. present — a gift
  18. court — of a king
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. kid — child
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. tube — the underground

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