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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bat · rush · race · kick · object · key · mine · scale

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  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. bat — the animal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. race — the arms race
  4. key — the most important part
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. race — a contest
  10. key — for a lock
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. object — a thing
  14. kick — in football
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. scale — in music
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. mine — for digging
  19. object — to protest
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. race — humankind
  22. object — an aim
  23. key — in music
  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