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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: court · fan · pit · race · season · rash · deal · bass

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. deal — to handle
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bass — the fish
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. race — humankind
  7. court — of a king
  8. race — a contest
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bass — low music
  12. rash — hasty
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. rash — a series
  15. pit — a hole
  16. race — the arms race
  17. season — of the year
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. court — for sport
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. pit — in a race
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. season — in sport
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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