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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 · ruler · date · net · march · charge · stand · spell

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  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. court — for sport
  2. stand — to bear
  3. court — of a king
  4. charge — a price
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. charge — in control
  7. date — the fruit
  8. charge — electricity
  9. march — the month
  10. net — after costs
  11. spell — a short time
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. spell — letters
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. spell — magic
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. march — music
  22. court — of law
  23. date — on the calendar
  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