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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: ball · row · roll · court · race · object · content · craft

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  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. object — a thing
  2. ball — a dance
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. roll — a list
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — for sport
  7. row — to paddle
  8. race — the arms race
  9. row — a line
  10. craft — a skill
  11. object — to protest
  12. content — happy
  13. race — a contest
  14. object — an aim
  15. roll — a cake
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. court — of law
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. content — the amount
  22. craft — boats
  23. ball — a great time
  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