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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: court · bay · race · hand · bank · season · last · fall

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. court — of law
  3. court — for sport
  4. race — humankind
  5. court — of a king
  6. race — the arms race
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. bank — for money
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. season — in sport
  12. fall — to drop
  13. hand — help
  14. fall — the season
  15. last — finally
  16. hand — in cards
  17. fall — to drop
  18. last — final
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bank — for money
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. last — to go on
  23. season — of the year
  24. bank — of a river

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