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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. race — the arms race
  6. vault — a safe
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. object — to protest
  9. last — finally
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. object — an aim
  12. ground — a position
  13. club — for golf
  14. club — for dancing
  15. ground — crushed
  16. race — humankind
  17. last — final
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. race — a contest
  20. last — to go on
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. object — a thing
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. ground — the earth

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