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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 124 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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. cap — a lid
  3. race — humankind
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. key — in music
  7. squash — to crush
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. cap — a hat
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. race — the arms race
  17. mine — for digging
  18. squash — the sport
  19. cap — of ice
  20. race — a contest
  21. key — for a lock
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. snap — to click
  24. key — the most important part

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