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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. key — the most important part
  4. spell — letters
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. tube — the underground
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. race — a contest
  10. dip — to sink
  11. track — a path
  12. tube — a container
  13. chair — a leader
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. key — in music
  16. spell — a short time
  17. track — to keep track
  18. race — humankind
  19. rush — hurry
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. track — a song
  22. spell — magic
  23. race — the arms race
  24. chair — to sit on

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