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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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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: race · ball · wake · bowl · deal · rash · date · ground

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. ball — a dance
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. ground — crushed
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. rash — hasty
  10. date — the fruit
  11. rash — a series
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. race — the arms race
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. ground — the earth
  18. race — a contest
  19. deal — to handle
  20. race — humankind
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ground — a position

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