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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. bat — the animal
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — for a lock
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. last — final
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. race — humankind
  10. last — to go on
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. key — in music
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. last — finally
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. race — a contest
  24. deal — to handle

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