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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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. game — wild animals
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. key — for a lock
  6. court — for sport
  7. board — to get on
  8. scale — size or range
  9. cap — a lid
  10. race — the arms race
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. key — in music
  13. race — a contest
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. court — of law
  16. court — of a king
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a hat
  20. scale — in music
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. board — a committee
  23. game — a match
  24. scale — for weighing

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