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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. court — of a king
  3. pitch — completely
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. race — a contest
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to click
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. pop — soda
  12. cue — for pool
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bank — for money
  15. squash — the sport
  16. cue — a hint
  17. bank — of a river
  18. court — for sport
  19. cue — a signal
  20. race — humankind
  21. court — of law
  22. pop — to visit
  23. race — the arms race
  24. pop — music

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