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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. firm — steady
  3. key — the most important part
  4. chest — a box
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bound — certain
  8. race — the arms race
  9. branch — a division
  10. ball — a dance
  11. key — in music
  12. firm — decided
  13. chest — of your body
  14. key — for a lock
  15. race — a contest
  16. firm — a company
  17. bound — obliged
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. chest — of your body
  24. race — humankind

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