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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bass — the fish
  3. race — humankind
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. craft — a skill
  6. kid — child
  7. bass — low music
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. saw — the tool
  11. track — to keep track
  12. key — for a lock
  13. race — a contest
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. track — a song
  17. saw — the tool
  18. craft — boats
  19. track — a path
  20. key — in music
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. race — the arms race
  24. kid — to tease

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