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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. race — humankind
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. track — to keep track
  6. foot — a measure
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. cold — not warm
  10. track — a path
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. race — a contest
  13. race — the arms race
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. track — a song
  16. rush — hurry
  17. bore — to tire
  18. cold — an illness
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. key — for a lock
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. bore — to drill
  23. key — in music
  24. ruler — for measuring

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