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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: racket · wound · present · court · swing · race

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. race — the arms race
  3. swing — in golf
  4. court — for sport
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. present — a gift
  7. present — there
  8. race — a contest
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. race — humankind
  11. swing — music
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wound — an injury
  14. present — the time now
  15. wound — an injury
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — of law
  18. swing — to play on

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