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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mate — a partner
  3. swing — to play on
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. swing — in golf
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. capital — money
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — the arms race
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. game — a match
  12. mate — to breed
  13. vault — a safe
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. wind — moving air
  18. game — wild animals
  19. mate — a friend
  20. swing — music
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. race — humankind
  24. capital — a city

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