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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: ground · march · ball · fall · mug · bowl · swing · perch

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. ball — a dance
  3. fall — the season
  4. mug — a face
  5. ground — crushed
  6. mug — to rob
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. perch — the fish
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. swing — in golf
  12. ball — a great time
  13. march — the month
  14. swing — music
  15. fall — to drop
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. swing — to play on
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — the earth
  23. mug — a cup
  24. march — the month

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