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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. key — for a lock
  3. object — an aim
  4. mark — a trace
  5. key — the most important part
  6. deal — to handle
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. march — the month
  9. mark — a grade
  10. race — humankind
  11. race — the arms race
  12. march — the month
  13. key — in music
  14. object — a thing
  15. branch — a division
  16. march — music
  17. swing — in golf
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. swing — to play on
  23. race — a contest
  24. swing — music

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