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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. court — of law
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. court — for sport
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. stock — goods
  8. race — the arms race
  9. key — in music
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. race — humankind
  13. root — the cause
  14. court — of a king
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. root — of a word
  20. stock — shares
  21. race — a contest
  22. root — of a plant
  23. prune — to trim
  24. key — for a lock

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