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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 120 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. court — of a king
  3. field — a subject
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. press — a publisher
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. court — for sport
  9. press — to push
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. rock — a stone
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. key — in music
  14. field — for sport
  15. court — of law
  16. race — the arms race
  17. field — farmland
  18. race — humankind
  19. press — newspapers
  20. rock — music
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. race — a contest
  23. key — the most important part
  24. lash — to lash out

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