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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. key — for a lock
  3. race — a contest
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. key — the most important part
  9. wound — an injury
  10. race — the arms race
  11. can — a tin
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. race — humankind
  14. pop — soda
  15. pop — to visit
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. pop — music
  18. wound — an injury
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kid — child
  21. key — in music
  22. bulb — for light
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. can — a tin

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