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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. key — the most important part
  3. race — a contest
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. wax — to grow
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. key — in music
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. mine — for digging
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. race — the arms race
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. key — for a lock
  19. kid — to tease
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. stand — to bear
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. race — humankind
  24. kid — child

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