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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. roll — a cake
  3. roll — a list
  4. key — the most important part
  5. race — the arms race
  6. hand — help
  7. degree — from a university
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. race — humankind
  10. mark — a grade
  11. last — finally
  12. race — a contest
  13. mark — a trace
  14. last — final
  15. hand — in cards
  16. degree — temperature
  17. last — to go on
  18. degree — an amount
  19. key — for a lock
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. roll — on a roll

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