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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: court · squash · bank · cue · saw · jam · plane · race

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. cue — for pool
  3. bank — for money
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — of a river
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. plane — a tool
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. race — humankind
  11. court — for sport
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. court — of law
  14. squash — the sport
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. court — of a king
  18. race — a contest
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. cue — a signal
  21. saw — the tool
  22. race — the arms race
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. cue — a hint

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