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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. bulb — for light
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. key — for a lock
  5. race — the arms race
  6. race — humankind
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. race — a contest
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. hand — in cards
  11. mine — for digging
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. key — the most important part
  14. spell — a short time
  15. hand — help
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. key — in music
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — magic
  23. bulb — for light
  24. racket — for tennis

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