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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. cap — a lid
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bear — the animal
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. chair — a leader
  7. key — the most important part
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. cap — of ice
  11. pound — a weight
  12. race — humankind
  13. bear — the animal
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — a contest
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. key — for a lock
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. cap — a hat
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. straw — dry grass

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