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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. key — in music
  3. key — the most important part
  4. race — a contest
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. shower — to wash
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. sharp — clever
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. key — for a lock
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. pass — a permit
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. charge — a price
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. shower — rain
  19. charge — in control
  20. charge — electricity
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. race — humankind
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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