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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a tool
  4. key — for a lock
  5. race — a contest
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. mug — a face
  8. degree — an amount
  9. vault — a safe
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. mug — to rob
  12. race — the arms race
  13. key — the most important part
  14. race — humankind
  15. file — a document
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. roll — a list
  19. mug — a cup
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. degree — temperature
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. roll — a cake
  24. degree — from a university

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