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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 120 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 looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. key — for a lock
  3. rock — music
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. key — in music
  7. race — humankind
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bank — for money
  12. race — a contest
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — of a river
  15. cell — a phone
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. cell — in biology
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wind — moving air
  21. key — the most important part
  22. wind — moving air
  23. race — the arms race
  24. coach — a trainer

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