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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bat — the animal
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. drill — the tool
  7. race — a contest
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — shares
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. wake — a trail
  12. drill — army training
  13. key — for a lock
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. key — in music
  18. rush — hurry
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. race — humankind
  21. stock — goods
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. race — the arms race

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