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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: board · can · race · ground · roll · dip · fan · court

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. court — of a king
  4. board — to get on
  5. roll — a list
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. court — for sport
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. roll — a cake
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. race — humankind
  13. race — the arms race
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ground — the earth
  16. court — of law
  17. race — a contest
  18. can — a tin
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. can — a tin
  22. dip — to sink
  23. ground — a position
  24. board — a committee

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