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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 120 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. rule — government
  3. fall — the season
  4. clip — for paper
  5. race — the arms race
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. race — a contest
  14. clip — a video
  15. key — the most important part
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. race — humankind
  18. vault — a safe
  19. key — in music
  20. rule — a law
  21. clip — to cut
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. key — for a lock
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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