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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: dip · race · roll · court · mine · net · rock · ruler

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. race — the arms race
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. race — a contest
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. roll — a cake
  7. net — after costs
  8. court — for sport
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. net — in sport
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rock — music
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. court — of a king
  16. mine — for digging
  17. court — of law
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. dip — to sink
  21. race — humankind
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. net — for catching

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