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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — the most important part
  3. saw — the tool
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. date — the fruit
  6. race — the arms race
  7. race — a contest
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. branch — a division
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — there
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. race — humankind
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — shares
  18. saw — the tool
  19. key — in music
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. present — a gift
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. snap — to click

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