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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. key — for a lock
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. race — humankind
  6. squash — the sport
  7. mug — a cup
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. key — the most important part
  10. mug — to rob
  11. race — the arms race
  12. roll — a list
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — a country
  15. key — in music
  16. roll — a cake
  17. mug — a face
  18. race — a contest
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. squash — to crush
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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