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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — the most important part
  3. court — of law
  4. face — part of the head
  5. cue — a signal
  6. race — a contest
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. court — of a king
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — to come from
  12. face — to confront
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. court — for sport
  15. key — in music
  16. race — humankind
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. cue — a hint
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. face — to point toward
  21. cue — for pool
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. race — the arms race
  24. fan — a supporter

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