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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: ruler · hand · coach · date · race · key · wake · net

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. race — humankind
  3. net — for catching
  4. race — a contest
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. net — after costs
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. key — for a lock
  12. wake — a trail
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. date — the fruit
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. net — in sport
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — help
  23. key — in music
  24. race — the arms race

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