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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: deal · race · current · court · pitch · bark · calf · shower

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. shower — to wash
  5. deal — to handle
  6. race — a contest
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. shower — rain
  9. race — the arms race
  10. bark — to shout
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. court — for sport
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. current — electric
  17. pitch — completely
  18. court — of law
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — of water
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. race — humankind
  24. court — of a king

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