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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: ground · mouse · march · leaves · wound · firm · track · game

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. ground — the earth
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. track — a path
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. ground — a position
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. firm — steady
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — a match
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. march — the month
  13. track — to keep track
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. march — music
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. wound — an injury
  18. track — a song
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. game — wild animals
  21. firm — a company
  22. firm — decided
  23. ground — crushed
  24. wound — an injury

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