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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: last · rash · key · kid · sharp · race · lean · capital

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. lean — to bend
  3. race — the arms race
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. key — in music
  8. lean — thin
  9. key — for a lock
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. last — finally
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. capital — money
  14. rash — a series
  15. last — to go on
  16. race — a contest
  17. capital — a city
  18. kid — child
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. key — the most important part
  21. race — humankind
  22. sharp — clever
  23. last — final
  24. kid — to tease

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