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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. key — the most important part
  3. pit — in a race
  4. content — the amount
  5. wake — a trail
  6. rule — government
  7. squash — to crush
  8. pit — a hole
  9. race — the arms race
  10. content — happy
  11. pop — to visit
  12. rule — a law
  13. pop — music
  14. squash — the sport
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. key — for a lock
  20. race — humankind
  21. pop — soda
  22. key — in music
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. race — a contest

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