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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. rest — what's left
  3. race — a contest
  4. rest — what's left
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. field — for sport
  7. root — the cause
  8. ground — a position
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. plane — a tool
  11. vault — a safe
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. field — a subject
  14. race — the arms race
  15. field — farmland
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. race — humankind
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ground — the earth
  20. root — of a word
  21. rest — a break
  22. root — of a plant
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. plane — in geometry

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