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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. game — a match
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. key — for a lock
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. race — humankind
  8. key — in music
  9. hand — help
  10. fine — all right
  11. hand — in cards
  12. wound — an injury
  13. fine — high quality
  14. race — a contest
  15. perch — the fish
  16. kid — child
  17. wound — an injury
  18. game — wild animals
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. kid — to tease
  21. key — the most important part
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. hand — part of the body

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