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

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. track — a path
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. key — for a lock
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. track — a song
  8. race — humankind
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. race — a contest
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. saw — the tool
  14. race — the arms race
  15. track — to keep track
  16. dip — to sink
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. pound — a weight
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. key — in music
  22. key — the most important part
  23. toast — bread
  24. pound — to hit hard

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