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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. spring — of water
  3. rash — a series
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. race — humankind
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. pass — a permit
  11. spring — a coil
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. bass — low music
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. spring — the season
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. bass — the fish
  20. rash — hasty
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. vault — a safe
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. race — a contest

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