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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 120 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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. race — the arms race
  3. field — for sport
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. plane — a tool
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. swing — to play on
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. race — a contest
  10. lean — thin
  11. fall — the season
  12. key — for a lock
  13. lean — to bend
  14. field — a subject
  15. race — humankind
  16. key — in music
  17. swing — music
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. swing — in golf
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. field — farmland
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. lean — to rest against

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