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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: object · ball · trunk · key · race · season · cold · suit

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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 — the arms race
  3. object — an aim
  4. race — humankind
  5. cold — an illness
  6. object — to protest
  7. race — a contest
  8. ball — a great time
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. key — for a lock
  11. season — in sport
  12. suit — to fit
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. key — in music
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. cold — not warm
  18. ball — a dance
  19. suit — in cards
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. suit — clothes
  22. season — of the year
  23. object — a thing
  24. cold — the Cold War

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