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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 116 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  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. track — a song
  2. race — humankind
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. race — the arms race
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. fork — in a road
  9. track — a path
  10. key — the most important part
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. mine — for digging
  14. track — to keep track
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. game — a match
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — wild animals
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. key — in music
  21. race — a contest
  22. snap — to click
  23. sharp — clever
  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