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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 · craft · roll · march · pass · hand · ground · bat

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. march — music
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. march — the month
  6. hand — in cards
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. ground — a position
  9. roll — a list
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — the animal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. ground — crushed
  18. pass — a permit
  19. ground — the earth
  20. march — the month
  21. roll — a cake
  22. craft — boats
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. craft — a skill

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