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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. court — of a king
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. race — a contest
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — farmland
  10. fine — all right
  11. court — of law
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. march — the month
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. rock — music
  16. field — for sport
  17. fine — high quality
  18. race — the arms race
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. rock — a stone
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. court — for sport

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