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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. race — a contest
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. row — a line
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. row — to paddle
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. prune — to trim
  9. deal — to handle
  10. race — the arms race
  11. lean — to bend
  12. band — a music group
  13. race — humankind
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. vault — a safe
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. lean — thin

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