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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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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 · net · pound · mouse · kid · squash · court · bay

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. march — the month
  3. net — in sport
  4. march — music
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. net — after costs
  8. march — the month
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. court — for sport
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. kid — to tease
  13. net — for catching
  14. squash — to crush
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. court — of a king
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. squash — the sport
  22. court — of law
  23. pound — a weight
  24. kid — child

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