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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: race · toast · chest · court · object · cue

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. object — to protest
  3. cue — a hint
  4. court — of a king
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. race — the arms race
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. chest — a box
  9. toast — bread
  10. cue — a signal
  11. chest — of your body
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of law
  14. race — humankind
  15. race — a contest
  16. object — a thing
  17. chest — of your body
  18. object — an aim

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