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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. key — for a lock
  4. race — the arms race
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. key — in music
  7. key — the most important part
  8. mine — for digging
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. race — a contest
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mark — a grade
  17. fine — all right
  18. fine — high quality
  19. race — humankind
  20. perch — the fish
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. shower — to wash

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