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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: race · ball · club · court · board · scale · lash · band

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. race — the arms race
  3. club — for dancing
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. court — of law
  6. race — humankind
  7. scale — size or range
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. club — for golf
  11. ball — a dance
  12. court — of a king
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. scale — in music
  15. band — a ring
  16. ball — a great time
  17. race — a contest
  18. court — for sport
  19. band — a music group
  20. board — to get on
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. board — a committee
  24. lash — to lash out

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