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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · cue · lie · season · pit · race · can · row

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  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. lie — an untruth
  2. pit — in a race
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — in sport
  5. row — a line
  6. cue — a signal
  7. can — to be able to
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. cue — a hint
  10. season — of the year
  11. court — for sport
  12. race — humankind
  13. cue — for pool
  14. can — a tin
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. race — the arms race
  18. lie — to recline
  19. pit — a hole
  20. row — to paddle
  21. court — of law
  22. race — a contest
  23. can — a tin
  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