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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. key — for a lock
  3. drill — a practice
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. cue — a signal
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — a position
  8. scale — size or range
  9. ground — crushed
  10. cue — for pool
  11. lean — to bend
  12. race — humankind
  13. key — in music
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. stem — to come from
  16. race — a contest
  17. scale — in music
  18. lean — thin
  19. race — the arms race
  20. drill — the tool
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. key — the most important part
  24. drill — army training

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