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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 116 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: wave · game · track · mouse · bat · march · bank · court

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bank — for money
  3. march — music
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bank — for money
  8. track — a song
  9. game — a match
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. march — the month
  12. track — to keep track
  13. bank — of a river
  14. march — the month
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. court — for sport
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — the animal
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. track — a path
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. court — of law

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