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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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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: court · lie · jam · clip · pitcher · deal · march · sharp

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. deal — to handle
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. clip — a video
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. clip — for paper
  9. court — of law
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. march — the month
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. court — of a king
  17. march — the month
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. court — for sport
  20. lie — to recline
  21. clip — to cut
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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