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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. rash — hasty
  3. race — a contest
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. cue — for pool
  7. race — humankind
  8. scale — in music
  9. race — the arms race
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. cue — a hint
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. cue — a signal
  14. rash — a series
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. wound — an injury
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. court — of law
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wound — an injury
  24. temple — side of the head

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