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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. game — wild animals
  3. march — the month
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. court — of a king
  7. march — music
  8. game — a match
  9. track — to keep track
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. track — a path
  18. roll — a cake
  19. court — of law
  20. court — for sport
  21. march — the month
  22. roll — a list
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. track — a song

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