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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: cabinet · bowl · hand · rock · march · spell · court · ground

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. spell — magic
  5. march — the month
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. rock — a stone
  8. ground — the earth
  9. court — of a king
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. court — of law
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. court — for sport
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. hand — help
  16. march — music
  17. spell — a short time
  18. march — the month
  19. ground — a position
  20. hand — in cards
  21. spell — letters
  22. rock — music
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — to roll

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