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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: sharp · bear · race · tear · cell · cue · march · court

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — of law
  4. cue — a signal
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cell — in biology
  9. tear — to rip
  10. cue — for pool
  11. march — the month
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — from crying
  14. cell — a phone
  15. bear — the animal
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — humankind
  18. march — music
  19. court — for sport
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. race — the arms race
  22. bear — the animal
  23. sharp — clever
  24. march — the month

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