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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  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 — for a lock
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. key — in music
  8. key — the most important part
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bark — to shout
  11. capital — a city
  12. scale — size or range
  13. scale — in music
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. shower — to wash
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. shower — rain
  19. capital — money
  20. race — a contest
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. race — humankind
  23. bark — of a tree
  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