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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. field — for sport
  4. race — a contest
  5. field — a subject
  6. race — the arms race
  7. toast — bread
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. vault — a safe
  10. field — farmland
  11. fork — in a road
  12. last — finally
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. last — final
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. last — to go on
  18. vault — an arched ceiling

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