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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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Word bank
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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: wake · race · rock · file · club · cue · lie · court

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. rock — a stone
  4. race — the arms race
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. lie — to recline
  7. file — a document
  8. cue — a signal
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. file — a line of people
  13. club — for dancing
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for golf
  16. wake — a trail
  17. rock — music
  18. court — of a king
  19. race — a contest
  20. race — humankind
  21. file — a tool
  22. cue — for pool
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of law

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