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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. court — of a king
  3. land — ground
  4. pitch — completely
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. race — humankind
  7. court — for sport
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — the tool
  10. mug — to rob
  11. hand — in cards
  12. land — a country
  13. drill — army training
  14. mug — a face
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. land — to come down
  18. court — of law
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. race — the arms race
  21. hand — help
  22. mug — a cup
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. bowl — a dish

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