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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. key — the most important part
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. rash — a series
  5. march — music
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. key — in music
  8. race — the arms race
  9. face — to point toward
  10. race — humankind
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. key — for a lock
  15. march — the month
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. march — the month
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. tube — a container
  20. face — to confront
  21. tube — the underground
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. face — part of the head
  24. rash — hasty

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