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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: cue · lie · tear · court · lean · object · cell · race

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. lean — to bend
  3. object — an aim
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. cue — for pool
  6. tear — from crying
  7. lie — to recline
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. cell — in biology
  10. tear — from crying
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lean — thin
  13. object — a thing
  14. cue — a hint
  15. object — to protest
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. race — the arms race
  18. race — a contest
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cell — a phone
  21. tear — to rip
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — of law
  24. race — humankind

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