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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. race — humankind
  3. staff — employees
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. drill — the tool
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. staff — employees
  11. drill — army training
  12. hand — help
  13. key — the most important part
  14. last — to go on
  15. staff — a stick
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — the arms race
  18. last — final
  19. key — in music
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. hand — in cards
  22. last — finally
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. key — for a lock

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