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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. key — in music
  3. key — for a lock
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. key — the most important part
  6. ground — the earth
  7. bank — for money
  8. ground — crushed
  9. race — humankind
  10. clip — a video
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bank — for money
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. season — of the year
  17. ground — a position
  18. clip — for paper
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. season — in sport
  21. race — the arms race
  22. bank — of a river
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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