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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 120 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. race — a contest
  3. track — a path
  4. squash — the sport
  5. row — to paddle
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — to tease
  8. court — of a king
  9. kid — child
  10. court — of law
  11. track — a song
  12. row — a line
  13. track — to keep track
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. squash — to crush
  16. race — the arms race
  17. court — for sport
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. mug — a cup
  21. sharp — clever
  22. mug — to rob
  23. race — humankind
  24. mug — a face

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