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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. ball — a dance
  4. key — the most important part
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. race — humankind
  7. tube — the underground
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — a contest
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. tube — a container
  13. court — of law
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. key — for a lock
  17. ball — a great time
  18. craft — boats
  19. court — of a king
  20. shower — rain
  21. court — for sport
  22. key — in music
  23. craft — a skill
  24. shower — to wash

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