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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: key · rock · race · craft · shower · court · ground · season

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. key — the most important part
  3. rock — a stone
  4. ground — a position
  5. craft — boats
  6. season — of the year
  7. ground — the earth
  8. race — humankind
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. court — of a king
  11. court — of law
  12. court — for sport
  13. key — in music
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. rock — music
  17. shower — to wash
  18. key — for a lock
  19. ground — crushed
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — the arms race
  22. craft — a skill
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. shower — rain

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