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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: mouse · ground · pop · stand · ball · scale · board · game

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. stand — to bear
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. ground — crushed
  5. game — wild animals
  6. pop — music
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. scale — in music
  10. ground — the earth
  11. pop — soda
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. pop — to visit
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. ground — a position
  18. ball — a great time
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. scale — size or range
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. ball — a dance
  23. board — to get on
  24. board — a committee

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