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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — final
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. track — a song
  5. last — to go on
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. race — humankind
  8. race — the arms race
  9. content — happy
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — in music
  12. key — the most important part
  13. track — a path
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. roll — a cake
  17. track — to keep track
  18. content — the amount
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. race — a contest
  21. rock — a stone
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. roll — a list
  24. rock — music

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