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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.

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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: field · mine · court · shower · march · mark · race · mate

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. court — for sport
  3. march — the month
  4. mine — for digging
  5. race — the arms race
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. court — of a king
  8. race — a contest
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mate — to breed
  11. race — humankind
  12. mate — a friend
  13. field — a subject
  14. march — music
  15. field — for sport
  16. court — of law
  17. field — farmland
  18. shower — rain
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mark — a grade
  23. march — the month
  24. shower — to wash

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