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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: race · rock · court · key · branch · last · club · date

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. last — to go on
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. court — of law
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. last — final
  7. court — of a king
  8. key — the most important part
  9. rock — a stone
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. race — a contest
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. key — in music
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — for dancing
  16. key — for a lock
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. rock — music
  19. court — for sport
  20. last — finally
  21. branch — a division
  22. club — a group
  23. race — the arms race
  24. date — 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