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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 · pass · race · hand · kick · jam · last · court

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. cap — a hat
  3. last — final
  4. kick — in football
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. court — for sport
  7. race — the arms race
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. last — finally
  10. cap — of ice
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. cap — a lid
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. hand — help
  15. race — humankind
  16. last — to go on
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. hand — in cards
  19. pass — a permit
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. race — a contest
  22. court — of a king
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. hand — part of the body

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