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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 120 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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. lean — to bend
  3. court — for sport
  4. lean — thin
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. race — humankind
  12. capital — money
  13. race — the arms race
  14. capital — a city
  15. chest — of your body
  16. ball — a dance
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. chest — a box
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. chest — of your body
  21. ball — a great time
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — of law
  24. capital — a big letter

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