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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: race · date · shower · can · court · lean · ground · wave

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. race — humankind
  3. race — the arms race
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. can — a tin
  7. race — a contest
  8. court — of a king
  9. shower — to wash
  10. ground — a position
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. lean — to bend
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. can — a tin
  16. court — of law
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. ground — crushed
  19. date — the fruit
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. shower — rain
  22. lean — thin
  23. can — to be able to
  24. court — for sport

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