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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: mark · mate · spring · mouse · march · race · court · arm

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. court — of law
  3. court — for sport
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. spring — the season
  6. mark — a grade
  7. spring — of water
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. march — music
  11. mark — a trace
  12. court — of a king
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. race — the arms race
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. mate — a friend
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. mate — a partner
  19. march — the month
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. march — the month
  23. race — humankind
  24. race — a contest

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