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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. key — for a lock
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. rest — what's left
  7. game — wild animals
  8. key — in music
  9. rest — a break
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. race — humankind
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mate — a friend
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. mate — to breed
  17. key — the most important part
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. snap — to click
  20. rest — what's left
  21. race — the arms race
  22. mate — a partner
  23. race — a contest
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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