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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. key — in music
  3. land — to come down
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. key — for a lock
  8. last — to go on
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. land — ground
  12. cell — a phone
  13. key — the most important part
  14. cell — in biology
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. last — final
  17. land — a country
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. last — finally
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — the arms race
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. race — humankind

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