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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 120 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 · fall · ground · ball · mouse · pound · court · suit

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. ball — a dance
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of a king
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. march — the month
  7. ground — a position
  8. fall — the season
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. suit — clothes
  13. ball — a great time
  14. fall — to drop
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. ground — crushed
  17. pound — a weight
  18. march — music
  19. court — of law
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. suit — in cards
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. ground — the earth
  24. suit — to fit

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