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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. race — humankind
  3. present — the time now
  4. wound — an injury
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — the season
  7. present — there
  8. spring — a coil
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cue — for pool
  11. key — in music
  12. race — the arms race
  13. present — a gift
  14. key — the most important part
  15. key — for a lock
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. plane — a tool
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cue — a signal
  20. rest — a break
  21. rest — what's left
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. race — a contest
  24. plane — in geometry

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