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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: rush · court · fork · game · march · last · bass · stand

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. last — finally
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — hurry
  6. game — wild animals
  7. court — of law
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. last — to go on
  10. court — of a king
  11. game — a match
  12. march — music
  13. stand — to bear
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. bass — low music
  21. last — final
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. court — for sport
  24. rush — a thrill

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