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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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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: race · bay · trunk · perch · mine · court · firm · march

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. court — of law
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. court — of a king
  6. firm — steady
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. race — humankind
  9. mine — for digging
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. race — the arms race
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. march — the month
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. perch — the fish
  16. march — the month
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. court — for sport
  20. firm — a company
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. firm — decided
  24. race — a contest

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