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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 116 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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. race — a contest
  3. saw — the tool
  4. race — humankind
  5. game — a match
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. bark — to shout
  8. capital — a city
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. vault — a safe
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. race — the arms race
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. capital — money
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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