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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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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: race · club · file · march · court · season · pop · arm

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. march — music
  3. pop — to visit
  4. file — a line of people
  5. court — of a king
  6. march — the month
  7. race — the arms race
  8. court — for sport
  9. march — the month
  10. club — for golf
  11. race — a contest
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. pop — music
  14. club — a group
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. file — a tool
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. club — for dancing
  20. race — humankind
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — of the year
  23. pop — soda
  24. court — of law

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