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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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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: stem · race · cap · fall · cue · kick · key · bat

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  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. stem — of a plant
  2. cap — of ice
  3. key — for a lock
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. key — the most important part
  6. fall — the season
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — a lid
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. key — in music
  11. race — the arms race
  12. cue — for pool
  13. bat — the animal
  14. race — a contest
  15. fall — to drop
  16. cue — a signal
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. cue — a hint
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. stem — to come from
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. kick — in football
  23. fall — to drop
  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