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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.

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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: content · court · spell · bay · race · mine · spring · mate

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  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. race — humankind
  3. mine — for digging
  4. spell — letters
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. spell — a short time
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. mate — a partner
  9. court — of law
  10. court — of a king
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. spell — magic
  15. spring — a coil
  16. content — the amount
  17. mate — to breed
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. spring — the season
  20. content — happy
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. spring — of water
  23. race — the arms race
  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