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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. stem — to come from
  3. race — humankind
  4. last — finally
  5. last — final
  6. board — to get on
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. wake — a trail
  11. board — a committee
  12. saw — the tool
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. race — the arms race
  18. last — to go on
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. vault — a safe
  22. saw — the tool
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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