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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: fine · march · court · pitcher · cap · game · mug · snap

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. court — of a king
  3. cap — a hat
  4. mug — a cup
  5. march — the month
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. court — for sport
  8. fine — high quality
  9. game — wild animals
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. mug — to rob
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. march — music
  14. cap — of ice
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mug — a face
  19. cap — a lid
  20. snap — to click
  21. court — of law
  22. game — a match
  23. march — the month
  24. fine — all right

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