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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'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — in music
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. race — a contest
  7. game — a match
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. content — happy
  10. race — humankind
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. bank — of a river
  13. content — the amount
  14. race — the arms race
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bank — for money
  17. key — the most important part
  18. craft — a skill
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. craft — boats
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. toast — bread

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