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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: cap · racket · race · lash · drill · ball · court · rock

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. drill — army training
  6. race — humankind
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. court — for sport
  9. rock — music
  10. drill — the tool
  11. court — of law
  12. court — of a king
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. drill — a practice
  15. ball — a dance
  16. race — the arms race
  17. cap — a hat
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. cap — a lid
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. rock — a stone
  23. cap — of ice
  24. ball — a great time

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