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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. court — for sport
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. ground — the earth
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. race — humankind
  9. mark — a trace
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. ground — crushed
  13. rash — a series
  14. wake — a trail
  15. season — in sport
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — hasty
  19. court — of law
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. ground — a position
  22. race — the arms race
  23. court — of a king
  24. mark — a grade

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