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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: race · kick · court · bass · board · pass · cap · band

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. board — a committee
  4. race — humankind
  5. pass — a permit
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. board — to get on
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. band — a ring
  12. cap — of ice
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. court — for sport
  15. cap — a hat
  16. band — a music group
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. cap — a lid
  19. bass — the fish
  20. kick — in football
  21. court — of law
  22. bass — low music
  23. race — a contest
  24. kick — a thrill

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