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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 116 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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. wind — moving air
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. capital — money
  8. key — in music
  9. key — for a lock
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — to come from
  12. shower — rain
  13. pass — a permit
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. wind — moving air
  19. shower — to wash
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. stand — to bear
  22. capital — a city
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. pass — to succeed

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