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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. can — to be able to
  6. race — humankind
  7. key — for a lock
  8. mine — for digging
  9. race — a contest
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. race — the arms race
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a ring
  14. can — a tin
  15. key — in music
  16. key — the most important part
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. mine — belonging to me

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