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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: snap · race · fan · cap · rest · present · drill · key

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. drill — a practice
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. present — there
  5. cap — a hat
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. race — humankind
  8. present — a gift
  9. key — the most important part
  10. rest — what's left
  11. race — a contest
  12. drill — army training
  13. rest — what's left
  14. present — the time now
  15. key — in music
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. snap — to click
  18. cap — of ice
  19. race — the arms race
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. drill — the tool
  23. cap — a lid
  24. key — for a lock

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