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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: race · cap · fall · key · bass · temple · fork · saw

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. key — the most important part
  3. cap — of ice
  4. key — for a lock
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. race — humankind
  9. key — in music
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. bass — the fish
  12. saw — the tool
  13. race — a contest
  14. cap — a lid
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bass — low music
  20. saw — the tool
  21. race — the arms race
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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