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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 120 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: fall · track · hand · race · ground · leaves · drill · key

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. race — the arms race
  3. hand — in cards
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. key — in music
  7. key — for a lock
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. drill — the tool
  10. track — to keep track
  11. key — the most important part
  12. track — a song
  13. track — a path
  14. fall — to drop
  15. drill — a practice
  16. fall — the season
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — crushed
  19. fall — to drop
  20. drill — army training
  21. hand — help
  22. ground — the earth
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — humankind

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