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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. game — a match
  3. key — for a lock
  4. key — the most important part
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. race — a contest
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a partner
  11. rest — what's left
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. race — humankind
  16. mate — a friend
  17. date — the fruit
  18. key — in music
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. rest — what's left
  21. race — the arms race
  22. cell — in biology
  23. game — wild animals
  24. cell — a phone

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