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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mine · court · ball · race · ruler · wake · saw · band

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. band — a ring
  4. court — of law
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wake — a trail
  7. band — a music group
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. ball — a dance
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. mine — for digging
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. court — of a king
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. court — for sport
  18. ball — a great time
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. saw — the tool
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. race — humankind
  24. race — the arms race

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