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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: rush · jam · march · mate · hide · ground · tear · ball

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ground — the earth
  4. march — music
  5. ground — crushed
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. march — the month
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. mate — to breed
  11. ground — a position
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. ball — a great time
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. rush — hurry
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mate — a partner
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. march — the month
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. tear — to rip

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