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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 120 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: firm · race · rule · saw · cell · key

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. key — for a lock
  3. firm — steady
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. key — the most important part
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. saw — the tool
  8. race — a contest
  9. key — in music
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rule — government
  12. firm — decided
  13. race — humankind
  14. race — the arms race
  15. firm — a company
  16. cell — in biology
  17. saw — the tool
  18. cell — a phone

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