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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. vault — a safe
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. fine — all right
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. last — final
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. race — the arms race
  9. fine — high quality
  10. last — to go on
  11. race — humankind
  12. hand — help
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. race — a contest
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. hand — in cards
  18. game — wild animals
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. branch — a division
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. last — finally
  24. game — a match

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