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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: drill · race · court · object · land · date · rock · hide

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. object — to protest
  4. race — the arms race
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. court — of law
  7. rock — music
  8. object — a thing
  9. rock — a stone
  10. object — an aim
  11. drill — a practice
  12. land — a country
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. drill — army training
  15. date — the fruit
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. race — humankind
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. land — ground
  21. drill — the tool
  22. court — for sport
  23. race — a contest
  24. land — to come down

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