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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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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: racket · march · track · rule · bass · prune · snap · court

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — music
  3. prune — to trim
  4. track — to keep track
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. prune — to trim
  8. court — of law
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. rule — a law
  11. snap — to click
  12. track — a path
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rule — government
  15. track — a song
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. court — of a king
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bass — the fish
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. march — the month
  23. court — for sport
  24. bass — low music

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