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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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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. present — a gift
  3. last — finally
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. race — a contest
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — for sport
  9. race — the arms race
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. court — of law
  12. pit — in a race
  13. race — humankind
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. last — to go on
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pop — music
  21. present — the time now
  22. present — there
  23. last — final
  24. wave — of the sea

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