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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. object — to protest
  3. race — humankind
  4. key — for a lock
  5. race — the arms race
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. race — a contest
  8. capital — money
  9. cue — for pool
  10. file — a document
  11. capital — a city
  12. shower — to wash
  13. file — a line of people
  14. key — the most important part
  15. file — a tool
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. cue — a hint
  19. object — an aim
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. key — in music
  22. cue — a signal
  23. shower — rain
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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