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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 116 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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. stock — shares
  7. sharp — clever
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — the arms race
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. current — of water
  12. stock — goods
  13. current — happening now
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. mine — for digging
  16. key — in music
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. current — electric
  20. kick — in football
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. race — a contest
  23. key — the most important part
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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