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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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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: swing · perch · lie · bound · march · pitch · court · ruler

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. bound — obliged
  3. court — of law
  4. swing — in golf
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. lie — to recline
  7. pitch — completely
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bound — tied together
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. perch — the fish
  15. swing — music
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bound — certain
  21. court — of a king
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. march — music
  24. swing — to play on

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