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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 116 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: straw · pound · game · firm · bowl · craft · court · march

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  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. bowl — to roll
  2. firm — steady
  3. game — a match
  4. court — of law
  5. court — of a king
  6. pound — a weight
  7. march — the month
  8. court — for sport
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. firm — decided
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. firm — a company
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. craft — a skill
  19. march — music
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. craft — boats
  23. game — a kind of play
  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