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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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. cell — a phone
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. rest — what's left
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. cell — in biology
  8. court — of law
  9. rest — a break
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. can — a tin
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. can — a tin
  14. race — the arms race
  15. key — in music
  16. court — for sport
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. key — for a lock
  19. can — to be able to
  20. court — of a king
  21. snap — to click
  22. race — a contest
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. rest — what's left

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