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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 · bowl · chest · band · court · board · mark · race

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. race — the arms race
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. mark — a trace
  6. race — a contest
  7. band — a music group
  8. court — for sport
  9. wind — moving air
  10. board — a committee
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. mark — a grade
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — of law
  17. chest — a box
  18. board — to get on
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. band — a ring
  22. chest — of your body
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. race — humankind

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