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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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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: march · racket · court · capital · mate · fork · lie · perch

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. mate — a partner
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. mate — a friend
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. march — music
  12. capital — money
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — of law
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. march — the month
  19. mate — to breed
  20. capital — a city
  21. court — for sport
  22. perch — the fish
  23. lie — to recline
  24. march — the month

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