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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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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: kick · track · march · ground · lie · racket · roll · sharp

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. march — the month
  5. ground — the earth
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. ground — crushed
  9. sharp — clever
  10. track — a path
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. track — to keep track
  13. lie — to recline
  14. roll — a cake
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. roll — a list
  18. track — a song
  19. ground — a position
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. march — music
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. kick — in football

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