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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — to cut
  4. race — humankind
  5. key — the most important part
  6. bound — certain
  7. rule — government
  8. clip — a video
  9. scale — size or range
  10. stock — goods
  11. pitch — completely
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. key — for a lock
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. bound — tied together
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. stock — shares
  20. bound — obliged
  21. scale — in music
  22. race — the arms race
  23. key — in music
  24. rule — a law

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