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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: ruler · court · straw · pop · kid · pass · pit · march

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. kid — child
  3. pop — to visit
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. pop — music
  6. court — for sport
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. march — the month
  10. court — of law
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. march — music
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. pit — in a race
  16. march — the month
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. kid — to tease
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. court — of a king

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