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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: mate · pass · squash · last · key · court · rash · tear

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. court — of a king
  3. tear — to rip
  4. mate — a partner
  5. pass — a permit
  6. last — finally
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. key — for a lock
  11. tear — from crying
  12. key — the most important part
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — final
  15. court — for sport
  16. mate — to breed
  17. squash — the sport
  18. rash — a series
  19. squash — to crush
  20. court — of law
  21. rash — hasty
  22. tear — from crying
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. key — in music

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