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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. row — a line
  3. drill — the tool
  4. drill — a practice
  5. race — a contest
  6. rock — a stone
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. row — to paddle
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. race — humankind
  11. tear — from crying
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. cell — a phone
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. vault — a safe
  16. drill — army training
  17. rock — music
  18. cell — in biology
  19. race — the arms race
  20. tear — to rip
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. tear — from crying
  24. rock — to move gently

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