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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. file — a document
  3. face — part of the head
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. vault — a safe
  6. race — the arms race
  7. file — a tool
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. club — for dancing
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. face — to point toward
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. file — a line of people
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. capital — a city
  17. band — a music group
  18. club — a group
  19. face — to confront
  20. band — a ring
  21. club — for golf
  22. capital — money
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. race — humankind

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