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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. race — a contest
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. lean — to bend
  5. race — humankind
  6. tear — to rip
  7. hand — in cards
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. hand — help
  11. vault — a safe
  12. dip — to sink
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a tool
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. lean — thin
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. pass — a permit
  20. tear — from crying
  21. file — a document
  22. race — the arms race
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. pass — to succeed

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