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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: court · ruler · row · nail · fine · band · net · race

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. court — of law
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. row — to paddle
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. row — a line
  8. race — humankind
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. net — after costs
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. court — for sport
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. band — a ring
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — all right
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. race — the arms race
  22. net — in sport
  23. court — of a king
  24. net — for catching

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