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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. net — for catching
  3. key — the most important part
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bear — the animal
  6. can — to be able to
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. can — a tin
  9. rash — a series
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — for dancing
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. race — a contest
  15. can — a tin
  16. race — the arms race
  17. bear — the animal
  18. key — in music
  19. club — a group
  20. net — in sport
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. net — after costs
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. race — humankind

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