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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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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: march · bark · court · present · cap · content · suit · fall

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. cap — of ice
  3. court — of law
  4. suit — in cards
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — for sport
  7. bark — to shout
  8. march — the month
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. march — music
  11. present — a gift
  12. content — happy
  13. suit — clothes
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. march — the month
  18. content — the amount
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. cap — a lid
  22. suit — to fit
  23. present — there
  24. present — the time now

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