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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.

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: key · race · march · mouse · fine · court · pitcher · date

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. race — humankind
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. fine — all right
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. court — of a king
  7. race — the arms race
  8. fine — high quality
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. court — of law
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. march — the month
  13. date — the fruit
  14. key — the most important part
  15. key — in music
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. key — for a lock
  21. court — for sport
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. race — a contest

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