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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: court · spring · race · fall · current · land · lash · cabinet

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. spring — of water
  3. race — humankind
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. fall — the season
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. current — of water
  8. land — ground
  9. court — of law
  10. land — to come down
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. court — of a king
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. fall — to drop
  16. race — the arms race
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — the season
  19. fall — to drop
  20. land — a country
  21. current — happening now
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. current — electric
  24. court — for sport

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