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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: court · race · club · board · land · mouse · net · mark

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. court — of a king
  3. race — a contest
  4. mark — a trace
  5. land — a country
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. board — to get on
  8. land — to come down
  9. net — for catching
  10. club — for dancing
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. race — humankind
  13. race — the arms race
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for golf
  16. court — for sport
  17. land — ground
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mark — a grade
  20. court — of law
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. board — a committee
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — after costs

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