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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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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: band · ruler · ground · lean · march · calf · court · season

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. ground — a position
  4. season — of the year
  5. court — of a king
  6. band — a music group
  7. march — music
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. march — the month
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lean — thin
  14. band — a ring
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. march — the month
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. court — of law
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — crushed
  23. court — for sport
  24. band — a rubber band

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