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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. last — final
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — a contest
  7. key — for a lock
  8. last — finally
  9. snap — to click
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — in music
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. race — the arms race
  16. bound — obliged
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. bound — tied together
  20. kid — child
  21. bound — certain
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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