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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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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 · pass · ground · court · dip · shower · staff · track

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. staff — employees
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. ground — the earth
  5. race — the arms race
  6. court — of a king
  7. ground — crushed
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. shower — to wash
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. race — a contest
  12. ground — a position
  13. pass — a permit
  14. staff — a stick
  15. track — a path
  16. staff — employees
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. shower — rain
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of law
  21. track — a song
  22. race — humankind
  23. track — to keep track
  24. dip — to sink

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