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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: march · mug · ground · fork · roll · ball · deal · stand

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. ball — a great time
  3. mug — to rob
  4. roll — a list
  5. ground — a position
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. march — the month
  8. stand — to bear
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. deal — to handle
  11. mug — a cup
  12. ball — a dance
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. fork — in a road
  16. march — music
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — crushed
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. roll — a cake
  23. mug — a face
  24. deal — an agreement

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