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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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. cap — a lid
  3. key — the most important part
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. drill — army training
  6. pitch — completely
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. race — a contest
  10. drill — the tool
  11. bound — tied together
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. race — humankind
  14. race — the arms race
  15. bound — obliged
  16. drill — a practice
  17. bound — certain
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. row — a line
  20. cap — of ice
  21. key — for a lock
  22. row — to paddle
  23. cap — a hat
  24. key — in music

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