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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. wound — an injury
  3. key — for a lock
  4. key — in music
  5. race — a contest
  6. fall — to drop
  7. wound — an injury
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. cue — for pool
  10. prune — to trim
  11. cue — a signal
  12. prune — to trim
  13. face — part of the head
  14. cue — a hint
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. fall — the season
  17. face — to confront
  18. fall — to drop
  19. race — humankind
  20. lean — to bend
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. face — to point toward
  23. race — the arms race
  24. key — the most important part

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