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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. key — the most important part
  4. bat — the animal
  5. race — a contest
  6. race — humankind
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. object — to protest
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. key — in music
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. mark — a trace
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. object — a thing
  17. key — for a lock
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. race — the arms race
  22. ball — a great time
  23. object — an aim
  24. mark — a grade

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