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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: rush · roll · race · fine · swing · cue · pit · court

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cue — for pool
  4. swing — to play on
  5. roll — a list
  6. race — the arms race
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. court — of law
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. cue — a signal
  13. race — humankind
  14. pit — a hole
  15. race — a contest
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — all right
  18. rush — hurry
  19. roll — a cake
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. swing — in golf
  22. pit — in a race
  23. swing — music
  24. court — of a king

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