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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: hide · game · court · mug · ground · mark · march · stand

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. march — music
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. mug — a face
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mug — a cup
  9. mark — a grade
  10. ground — crushed
  11. game — a match
  12. game — wild animals
  13. ground — the earth
  14. court — of a king
  15. mark — a trace
  16. march — the month
  17. court — of law
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. ground — a position
  21. court — for sport
  22. mug — to rob
  23. march — the month
  24. stand — to bear

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