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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: wind · race · land · bay · court · rash · wave · pitch

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. race — humankind
  4. court — of law
  5. court — of a king
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. wind — moving air
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. rash — hasty
  13. court — for sport
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. land — to come down
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. pitch — completely
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. land — a country
  22. land — ground
  23. race — a contest
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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