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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: bank · bass · march · chair · cue · court · craft · content

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. court — for sport
  3. craft — a skill
  4. court — of a king
  5. march — the month
  6. cue — a hint
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — happy
  10. bank — of a river
  11. cue — a signal
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — for money
  16. chair — a leader
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bass — low music
  19. craft — boats
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. court — of law
  23. content — the amount
  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