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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: chair · bore · prune · key · scale · cell · pass · race

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. cell — in biology
  5. key — in music
  6. bore — to drill
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. prune — to trim
  9. race — the arms race
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. race — a contest
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. cell — a phone
  14. key — for a lock
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. race — humankind
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. prune — to trim
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bore — to tire
  22. scale — in music
  23. pass — a permit
  24. scale — size or range

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