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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: bulb · court · wound · march · hand · rash · mate · row

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  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. hand — in cards
  2. bulb — for light
  3. court — of a king
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. march — the month
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. court — for sport
  10. wound — an injury
  11. court — of law
  12. mate — a partner
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bulb — for light
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. rash — a series
  17. row — a line
  18. march — music
  19. row — to paddle
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a friend
  22. wound — an injury
  23. hand — help
  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