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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. race — a contest
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. race — humankind
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. game — a match
  7. game — wild animals
  8. craft — boats
  9. fork — in a road
  10. court — of a king
  11. court — of law
  12. can — a tin
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. craft — a skill
  15. can — a tin
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. race — the arms race
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. court — for sport
  23. can — to be able to
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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