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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. net — after costs
  3. pop — music
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bound — tied together
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. race — a contest
  9. net — in sport
  10. shower — rain
  11. club — for dancing
  12. race — the arms race
  13. key — for a lock
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pop — soda
  16. bound — certain
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. key — in music
  19. club — for golf
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bound — obliged
  22. net — for catching
  23. shower — to wash
  24. club — a group

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