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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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Word bank
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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. mine — for digging
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — a safe
  7. spell — magic
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — a position
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. spell — a short time
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. race — the arms race
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pit — a hole
  20. race — humankind
  21. pit — in a race
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. race — a contest
  24. arm — a part of something

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