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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: cell · key · last · race · fan · hide · mark · object

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. last — to go on
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. object — a thing
  5. object — to protest
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. last — finally
  8. cell — a phone
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. mark — a grade
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. race — the arms race
  13. cell — in biology
  14. key — the most important part
  15. object — an aim
  16. race — humankind
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. key — in music
  20. last — final
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. race — a contest
  23. mark — a trace
  24. key — for a lock

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