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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: saw · court · race · bass · rest · dip · roll · pitcher

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. race — the arms race
  4. court — of law
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — the fish
  7. roll — a list
  8. saw — the tool
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. dip — to sink
  13. saw — the tool
  14. court — for sport
  15. rest — a break
  16. roll — a cake
  17. race — a contest
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bass — low music
  21. rest — what's left
  22. race — humankind
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. rest — what's left

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