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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. race — a contest
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. vault — a safe
  7. tear — from crying
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. tear — to rip
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. race — the arms race
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ground — a position
  16. tube — the underground
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. tube — a container
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. race — humankind
  24. ground — the earth

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