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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. capital — a city
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. race — the arms race
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. key — in music
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. key — for a lock
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. season — in sport
  11. capital — money
  12. dip — to sink
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — moving air
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. race — humankind
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. race — a contest
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. season — of the year

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