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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. staff — a stick
  4. tear — to rip
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of a king
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. staff — employees
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. vault — a safe
  12. staff — employees
  13. pit — in a race
  14. tear — from crying
  15. can — to be able to
  16. tear — from crying
  17. race — humankind
  18. race — a contest
  19. can — a tin
  20. scale — size or range
  21. court — of law
  22. race — the arms race
  23. pit — a hole
  24. scale — in music

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