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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 120 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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. key — the most important part
  3. track — a song
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. stock — goods
  6. root — of a word
  7. can — to be able to
  8. track — to keep track
  9. last — finally
  10. race — the arms race
  11. root — the cause
  12. race — humankind
  13. last — final
  14. fork — in a road
  15. race — a contest
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. root — of a plant
  19. can — a tin
  20. stock — shares
  21. key — for a lock
  22. can — a tin
  23. track — a path
  24. last — to go on

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