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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.

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 · march · fine · club · band · racket · court · mark

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. band — a music group
  3. club — for dancing
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. march — the month
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. court — of law
  8. band — a ring
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. march — music
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. mark — a trace
  16. march — the month
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — a group
  19. fine — high quality
  20. court — for sport
  21. fine — all right
  22. mark — a grade
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. saw — the tool

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