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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: fall · pitch · board · arm · roll · race · wake · court

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. roll — a list
  3. race — the arms race
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. court — of law
  6. board — to get on
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. fall — to drop
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. pitch — completely
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. roll — a cake
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. wake — a trail
  17. court — for sport
  18. race — a contest
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. board — a committee
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. court — of a king
  24. fall — the season

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