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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. cue — a signal
  3. prune — to trim
  4. race — humankind
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. cue — a hint
  9. pass — a permit
  10. court — for sport
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. rash — a series
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a friend
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. court — of law
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. cue — for pool
  20. race — a contest
  21. rash — hasty
  22. mate — a partner
  23. race — the arms race
  24. prune — the fruit

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