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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. shower — rain
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — the earth
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. shower — to wash
  8. race — humankind
  9. pit — in a race
  10. vault — a safe
  11. bore — to tire
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. key — in music
  15. race — a contest
  16. key — the most important part
  17. race — the arms race
  18. swing — to play on
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pit — a hole
  21. key — for a lock
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bore — to drill
  24. swing — music

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