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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. race — the arms race
  4. key — in music
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. tear — to rip
  7. cap — a lid
  8. race — a contest
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. tear — from crying
  14. key — for a lock
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. cap — of ice
  18. race — humankind
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. cap — a hat
  24. tear — from crying

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