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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. staff — a stick
  3. game — wild animals
  4. key — for a lock
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. wind — moving air
  8. race — a contest
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. game — a match
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. race — the arms race
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. wind — moving air
  15. staff — employees
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. toast — bread
  18. staff — employees
  19. key — in music
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. race — humankind
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. key — the most important part
  24. mouse — the animal

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