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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. court — of a king
  3. drill — the tool
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. race — humankind
  6. club — a group
  7. race — a contest
  8. race — the arms race
  9. court — for sport
  10. suit — clothes
  11. club — for golf
  12. suit — to fit
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — a division
  15. suit — in cards
  16. file — a document
  17. key — the most important part
  18. club — for dancing
  19. file — a tool
  20. key — in music
  21. drill — a practice
  22. court — of law
  23. drill — army training
  24. file — a line of people

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