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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: saw · ruler · pitcher · march · rock · fork · season · court

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. rock — a stone
  4. saw — the tool
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. saw — the tool
  8. season — of the year
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. court — for sport
  12. march — the month
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. march — music
  16. rock — music
  17. season — in sport
  18. court — of a king
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. court — of law
  22. fork — in a road
  23. march — the month
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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