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

Word bank: race · pound · rash · court · bear · club

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. pound — a weight
  3. club — a group
  4. bear — the animal
  5. race — the arms race
  6. club — for golf
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. race — a contest
  11. rash — hasty
  12. court — of law
  13. club — for dancing
  14. court — for sport
  15. rash — a series
  16. race — humankind
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pound — for dogs

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