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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. cell — in biology
  3. key — for a lock
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — an injury
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. race — a contest
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. hand — in cards
  10. race — the arms race
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. key — in music
  13. key — the most important part
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. lie — to recline
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. cell — a phone
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. race — humankind
  24. hide — animal skin

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