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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: key · leaves · arm · game · race · nail · sharp · date

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. sharp — clever
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. date — the fruit
  8. game — wild animals
  9. key — for a lock
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. game — a match
  12. race — the arms race
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. key — the most important part
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. race — humankind
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. race — a contest
  24. key — in music

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