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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. foot — a measure
  4. craft — a skill
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — for a lock
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. race — a contest
  9. rash — hasty
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. key — in music
  13. degree — an amount
  14. pitch — completely
  15. degree — from a university
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. craft — boats
  18. race — the arms race
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. degree — temperature
  23. rash — a series
  24. safe — out of danger

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