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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: bank · tear · pitcher · clip · race · deal · key · arm

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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 — a contest
  3. clip — for paper
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bank — for money
  6. clip — a video
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. key — for a lock
  9. tear — from crying
  10. race — the arms race
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. key — in music
  13. deal — to handle
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bank — of a river
  16. tear — from crying
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. bank — for money
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. tear — to rip
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. race — humankind
  24. arm — part of the body

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