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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 116 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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Word bank
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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: field · race · racket · bowl · pop · cap

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. pop — soda
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. cap — a hat
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. pop — music
  8. field — farmland
  9. cap — a lid
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. pop — to visit
  12. field — a subject
  13. cap — of ice
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — a contest
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. field — 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