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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 116 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — humankind
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. key — for a lock
  6. bear — the animal
  7. cell — in biology
  8. key — in music
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. key — the most important part
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cell — a phone
  14. tube — a container
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bound — tied together
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bear — the animal
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. race — the arms race
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bound — certain
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. bound — obliged

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