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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: march · can · ground · race · court · track · club · bowl

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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. can — a tin
  4. track — a path
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. track — a song
  7. march — the month
  8. court — of law
  9. can — a tin
  10. club — for dancing
  11. court — for sport
  12. track — to keep track
  13. club — a group
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — crushed
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — humankind
  18. can — to be able to
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. march — music
  21. court — of a king
  22. club — for golf
  23. ground — the earth
  24. race — the arms race

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