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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: last · march · court · suit · bat · rule · deal · jam

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. court — of law
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. march — music
  6. rule — a law
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. march — the month
  9. rule — government
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. bat — the animal
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. last — final
  14. court — for sport
  15. suit — clothes
  16. suit — in cards
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. last — to go on
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. march — the month
  21. deal — to handle
  22. last — finally
  23. suit — to fit
  24. bat — in an idiom

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