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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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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: court · bay · chest · pit · can · bulb · patient · march

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — of a king
  3. bulb — for light
  4. march — the month
  5. pit — in a race
  6. can — a tin
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bulb — for light
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. march — music
  14. pit — a hole
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. can — to be able to
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. chest — of your body
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. march — the month
  22. court — for sport
  23. chest — a box
  24. can — a tin

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