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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — a contest
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. field — farmland
  9. sharp — clever
  10. field — a subject
  11. key — in music
  12. field — for sport
  13. press — to push
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. clip — for paper
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. race — humankind
  18. press — newspapers
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — a video
  21. press — a publisher
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. key — the most important part
  24. lash — to lash out

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