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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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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: craft · pop · key · spring · race · lie · hand · capital

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. lie — to recline
  3. key — for a lock
  4. key — the most important part
  5. pop — soda
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. key — in music
  8. pop — to visit
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a city
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. pop — music
  13. race — a contest
  14. hand — help
  15. spring — a coil
  16. craft — a skill
  17. race — humankind
  18. craft — boats
  19. hand — in cards
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — the season
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. capital — a big letter

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