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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: spell · cue · court · game · temple · row · chair · race

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. row — a line
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. cue — for pool
  5. row — to paddle
  6. court — for sport
  7. race — humankind
  8. spell — magic
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. cue — a signal
  11. spell — a short time
  12. cue — a hint
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a match
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. spell — letters
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. court — of a king
  21. chair — a leader
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — a contest
  24. temple — a place of worship

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