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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: mouse · spring · court · rash · firm · track · present · ground

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. spring — of water
  3. rash — hasty
  4. ground — the earth
  5. track — to keep track
  6. present — a gift
  7. ground — a position
  8. firm — decided
  9. track — a song
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. present — there
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of law
  14. spring — a coil
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. rash — a series
  17. ground — crushed
  18. firm — steady
  19. spring — the season
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. track — a path
  23. present — the time now
  24. court — of a king

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