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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: race · leaves · season · racket · pound · ground · court · press

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. race — the arms race
  4. ground — a position
  5. ground — the earth
  6. pound — a weight
  7. race — a contest
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. court — of a king
  10. press — to push
  11. race — humankind
  12. court — of law
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. press — newspapers
  16. season — of the year
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. press — a publisher
  19. ground — crushed
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — in sport
  22. court — for sport
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. racket — a loud noise

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