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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: pop · patient · cap · chip · key · court · row · race

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. race — the arms race
  3. cap — a lid
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. pop — soda
  6. chip — for betting
  7. race — a contest
  8. key — for a lock
  9. cap — a hat
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. court — for sport
  12. key — in music
  13. cap — of ice
  14. row — a line
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. chip — to eat
  17. row — to paddle
  18. pop — music
  19. race — humankind
  20. key — the most important part
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. court — of a king
  24. pop — to visit

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