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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 · key · firm · plane · row · pop · bulb · race

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  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. pop — soda
  2. bulb — for light
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. key — the most important part
  5. key — for a lock
  6. court — of a king
  7. bulb — for light
  8. pop — music
  9. firm — a company
  10. pop — to visit
  11. race — the arms race
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. row — a line
  14. plane — a tool
  15. key — in music
  16. firm — steady
  17. race — a contest
  18. row — to paddle
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. court — for sport
  21. firm — decided
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. race — humankind
  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