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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: game · spring · ground · mug · spell · march · nail · bowl

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. march — the month
  3. spring — of water
  4. spell — magic
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. march — the month
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. mug — a cup
  10. game — a match
  11. march — music
  12. spell — letters
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. spring — a coil
  15. mug — a face
  16. mug — to rob
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. ground — crushed
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. spring — the season
  23. spell — a short time
  24. ground — the earth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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