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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fork · mark · spring · march · squash · row · court · mate

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. spring — of water
  3. row — a line
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. squash — the sport
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. march — music
  8. mate — a partner
  9. spring — the season
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mark — a trace
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — for sport
  14. mate — a friend
  15. march — the month
  16. spring — a coil
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. march — the month
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. fork — in a road
  21. court — of law
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. mark — a grade

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