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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mark — a trace
  4. bound — certain
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. race — a contest
  7. mark — a grade
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. stem — to come from
  10. key — the most important part
  11. bound — tied together
  12. board — a committee
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. key — in music
  15. board — to get on
  16. race — humankind
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — high quality
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bat — the animal
  23. race — the arms race
  24. key — for a lock

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