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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. race — the arms race
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a grade
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. hand — help
  7. can — a tin
  8. race — humankind
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — of water
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — a practice
  13. can — a tin
  14. drill — army training
  15. mark — a trace
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. spring — the season
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. key — in music
  20. race — a contest
  21. key — the most important part
  22. key — for a lock
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. can — to be able 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