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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cue — a signal
  4. court — of a king
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. cue — for pool
  7. can — a tin
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. court — for sport
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. track — a song
  13. court — of law
  14. cold — not warm
  15. race — a contest
  16. track — to keep track
  17. foot — a measure
  18. race — the arms race
  19. race — humankind
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. can — to be able to
  22. can — a tin
  23. cue — a hint
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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