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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 120 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: mate · court · net · stem · mark · deal · race · pitcher

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — of law
  6. mark — a grade
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. court — for sport
  9. race — humankind
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. race — a contest
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mate — a partner
  15. net — for catching
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — to breed
  20. stem — to come from
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. net — after costs
  23. deal — to handle
  24. net — in 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