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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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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: wake · file · race · net · hand · pop · key · cabinet

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — music
  4. race — humankind
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. key — for a lock
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a line of people
  13. key — the most important part
  14. file — a document
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. net — for catching
  17. race — a contest
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. race — the arms race
  20. hand — help
  21. net — in sport
  22. pop — to visit
  23. key — in music
  24. net — after costs

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