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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. staff — a stick
  6. key — for a lock
  7. cell — in biology
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. staff — employees
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bat — the animal
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. tube — a container
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. key — in music
  20. tube — the underground
  21. race — the arms race
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. staff — employees
  24. race — a contest

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