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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: race · toast · key · pitcher · roll · lie · cold · cell

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. race — the arms race
  5. key — in music
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. cold — not warm
  9. key — the most important part
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. cold — an illness
  12. key — for a lock
  13. roll — a cake
  14. race — a contest
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. roll — a list
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. cell — in biology
  20. toast — bread
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — to recline
  23. race — humankind
  24. cell — a phone

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