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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 bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. race — the arms race
  3. pass — a permit
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. court — of a king
  6. key — in music
  7. perch — the fish
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. race — humankind
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. game — wild animals
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. race — a contest
  14. sharp — clever
  15. court — of law
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. key — for a lock
  19. game — a match
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. key — the most important part
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. court — for sport

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