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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of law
  3. race — humankind
  4. drill — the tool
  5. court — of a king
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. field — farmland
  8. drill — a practice
  9. race — a contest
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. field — for sport
  12. pass — a permit
  13. snap — to click
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. drill — army training
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — goods
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. field — a subject
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. race — the arms race
  24. lie — to recline

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