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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. march — the month
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. court — of law
  8. court — of a king
  9. ground — crushed
  10. key — in music
  11. court — for sport
  12. mate — to breed
  13. ground — a position
  14. shower — to wash
  15. key — the most important part
  16. shower — rain
  17. ground — the earth
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. march — music
  20. key — for a lock
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. march — the month
  23. mate — a partner
  24. leaves — lets stay

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