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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: key · prune · bat · roll · race · net · foot · can

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bat — the animal
  3. race — the arms race
  4. roll — a list
  5. can — a tin
  6. prune — to trim
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. key — for a lock
  10. prune — to trim
  11. key — in music
  12. can — a tin
  13. roll — a cake
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — for catching
  19. race — a contest
  20. race — humankind
  21. foot — a measure
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. net — in sport

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