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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. race — a contest
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. race — the arms race
  5. field — a subject
  6. fall — to drop
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. key — in music
  9. fall — to drop
  10. swing — to play on
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — to be able to
  13. swing — in golf
  14. swing — music
  15. key — the most important part
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. key — for a lock
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. can — a tin
  20. field — for sport
  21. fall — the season
  22. sharp — clever
  23. field — farmland
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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