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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: cap · jam · court · prune · pass · race · mine · wake

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. race — humankind
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. court — for sport
  6. race — the arms race
  7. cap — a hat
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. court — of law
  10. wake — a trail
  11. race — a contest
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. pass — a permit
  16. mine — for digging
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. cap — of ice
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. prune — to trim
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. prune — to trim
  23. cap — a lid
  24. wake — before a funeral

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