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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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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: craft · court · pound · march · face · bowl · pit · land

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. court — of law
  4. pound — a weight
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. pit — in a race
  8. court — for sport
  9. pit — a hole
  10. craft — a skill
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. craft — boats
  14. face — to confront
  15. march — the month
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to point toward
  18. court — of a king
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. land — ground
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — a country

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