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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: season · pop · race · mouse · pitcher · board · court · mate

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. mate — a partner
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pop — soda
  6. race — a contest
  7. board — a committee
  8. court — of law
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. season — of the year
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. court — of a king
  15. season — in sport
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. board — to get on
  19. pop — music
  20. race — the arms race
  21. mate — to breed
  22. pop — to visit
  23. race — humankind
  24. mouse — the animal

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