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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — farmland
  4. vault — a safe
  5. race — a contest
  6. march — the month
  7. court — of a king
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. race — the arms race
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. court — of law
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a face
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. march — music
  21. field — a subject
  22. court — for sport
  23. mug — a cup
  24. march — the month

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