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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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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: scale · cold · fine · calf · march · pass · tear · court

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. tear — from crying
  4. scale — in music
  5. fine — all right
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. tear — from crying
  8. court — of law
  9. scale — size or range
  10. cold — not warm
  11. court — for sport
  12. pass — a permit
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. fine — high quality
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. cold — an illness
  23. tear — to rip
  24. court — of a king

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