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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: foot · cold · track · spring · bowl · safe · race · court

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. court — of law
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. track — to keep track
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. court — for sport
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. foot — a measure
  12. race — humankind
  13. track — a path
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — the season
  16. cold — not warm
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. court — of a king
  19. race — the arms race
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. cold — an illness
  23. race — a contest
  24. cold — the Cold War

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