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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. race — a contest
  3. swing — in golf
  4. firm — a company
  5. swing — to play on
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. race — the arms race
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. degree — from a university
  11. firm — decided
  12. ball — a dance
  13. key — in music
  14. key — for a lock
  15. plane — a tool
  16. game — wild animals
  17. swing — music
  18. race — humankind
  19. game — a match
  20. degree — temperature
  21. firm — steady
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. degree — an amount
  24. key — the most important part

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