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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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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: season · track · cap · court · march · band · ground · rush

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. march — music
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. march — the month
  5. court — of law
  6. cap — of ice
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. court — for sport
  9. track — a path
  10. band — a music group
  11. season — of the year
  12. rush — hurry
  13. ground — crushed
  14. march — the month
  15. ground — a position
  16. track — to keep track
  17. cap — a hat
  18. court — of a king
  19. cap — a lid
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. track — a song
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — in sport

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