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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — in music
  4. club — for dancing
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. cap — a hat
  7. prune — to trim
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — a contest
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. key — for a lock
  12. race — the arms race
  13. prune — to trim
  14. game — a match
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. rock — music
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a lid
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. rock — a stone
  22. club — a group
  23. club — for golf
  24. hide — animal skin

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