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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  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. rush — hurry
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — humankind
  4. kick — in football
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. spring — the season
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. season — of the year
  11. spring — of water
  12. key — the most important part
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. spring — a coil
  15. season — in sport
  16. track — a song
  17. ball — a great time
  18. track — to keep track
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. track — a path
  21. key — in music
  22. ball — a dance
  23. key — for a lock
  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