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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. staff — employees
  3. race — humankind
  4. scale — size or range
  5. roll — a cake
  6. pop — soda
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — in music
  10. can — to be able to
  11. staff — a stick
  12. pop — music
  13. can — a tin
  14. pop — to visit
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. race — a contest
  18. can — a tin
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. race — the arms race
  21. key — the most important part
  22. fork — in a road
  23. scale — in music
  24. staff — employees

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