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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. mark — a trace
  3. key — for a lock
  4. rush — hurry
  5. roll — a cake
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. spring — the season
  8. key — in music
  9. roll — a list
  10. key — the most important part
  11. race — the arms race
  12. plane — a tool
  13. race — humankind
  14. spring — of water
  15. mark — a grade
  16. race — a contest
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. spring — a coil
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. coach — a trainer

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