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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. court — for sport
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. suit — to fit
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. race — a contest
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rule — a law
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. suit — clothes
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. cue — for pool
  15. rule — government
  16. cue — a signal
  17. race — the arms race
  18. court — of a king
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cue — a hint
  22. court — of law
  23. race — humankind
  24. pitcher — a jug

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