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

Word bank: staff · lie · kid · bear · key · race · cabinet · clip

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. kid — child
  5. key — the most important part
  6. race — humankind
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. lie — to recline
  10. kid — to tease
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. staff — employees
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — for paper
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. staff — employees
  17. clip — a video
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. race — the arms race
  20. key — for a lock
  21. race — a contest
  22. bear — the animal
  23. staff — a stick
  24. bear — the animal

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