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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. race — the arms race
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. court — for sport
  5. suit — to fit
  6. row — a line
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. drill — the tool
  9. court — of law
  10. net — in sport
  11. row — to paddle
  12. race — a contest
  13. net — for catching
  14. drill — a practice
  15. lean — thin
  16. suit — in cards
  17. lean — to bend
  18. court — of a king
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. net — after costs
  22. race — humankind
  23. drill — army training
  24. row — a quarrel

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