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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. key — for a lock
  3. race — humankind
  4. key — the most important part
  5. pit — in a race
  6. key — in music
  7. race — a contest
  8. capital — a city
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. capital — money
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. court — for sport
  16. pit — a hole
  17. court — of a king
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. band — a music group
  23. band — a ring
  24. race — the arms race

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