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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fork — in a road
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. rash — a series
  6. drill — the tool
  7. ball — a great time
  8. mark — a grade
  9. race — a contest
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. key — for a lock
  12. drill — army training
  13. race — the arms race
  14. drill — a practice
  15. cold — not warm
  16. rash — hasty
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. cold — an illness
  19. ball — a dance
  20. race — humankind
  21. key — in music
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. mark — a trace

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