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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 120 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. vault — a safe
  3. pass — a permit
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. rock — music
  8. cold — not warm
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. current — electric
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. spell — letters
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. spell — a short time
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — the arms race
  20. spell — magic
  21. rock — a stone
  22. current — of water
  23. cold — an illness
  24. current — happening now

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