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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: rule · game · pit · foot · march · stick · band · court

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. march — the month
  4. court — of law
  5. rule — a law
  6. pit — in a race
  7. game — wild animals
  8. foot — a measure
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. march — music
  12. band — a music group
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. pit — a hole
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. rule — government
  17. game — a match
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — for sport
  20. band — a ring
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. march — the month
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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