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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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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: mine · mug · row · object · pit · race · court · band

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. race — a contest
  3. court — of a king
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. object — an aim
  7. row — a line
  8. court — of law
  9. pit — in a race
  10. object — to protest
  11. mug — to rob
  12. row — to paddle
  13. mug — a cup
  14. object — a thing
  15. band — a ring
  16. mine — for digging
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. race — the arms race
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. band — a music group
  22. mug — a face
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. race — humankind

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