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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. race — humankind
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. wound — an injury
  5. race — a contest
  6. fork — in a road
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. kick — in football
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. key — for a lock
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rock — music
  20. rock — a stone
  21. race — the arms race
  22. mine — for digging
  23. wake — a trail
  24. key — in music

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