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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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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 · squash · bowl · last · court · fall · bound · bore

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bound — obliged
  3. court — for sport
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. court — of law
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. last — final
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. race — a contest
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bore — to tire
  13. race — humankind
  14. squash — the sport
  15. fall — the season
  16. squash — to crush
  17. fall — to drop
  18. last — finally
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — tied together
  23. last — to go on
  24. race — the arms race

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