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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. kick — in football
  3. stock — goods
  4. cap — a lid
  5. race — a contest
  6. vault — a safe
  7. cap — of ice
  8. race — humankind
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. spell — a short time
  11. clip — a video
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. clip — to cut
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. club — for golf
  16. spell — letters
  17. club — for dancing
  18. cap — a hat
  19. clip — for paper
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. stock — shares
  23. race — the arms race
  24. spell — magic

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