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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — to be able to
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. can — a tin
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. cap — a hat
  9. game — wild animals
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. hand — help
  12. game — a match
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — humankind
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. hand — in cards
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cap — of ice
  20. race — a contest
  21. key — in music
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. key — the most important part
  24. hand — part of the body

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