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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 piece is in a major ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. race — humankind
  5. rest — a break
  6. last — to go on
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. pass — a permit
  10. key — the most important part
  11. vault — a safe
  12. key — for a lock
  13. row — to paddle
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. row — a line
  18. race — a contest
  19. last — finally
  20. last — final
  21. wound — an injury
  22. race — the arms race
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. wound — an injury

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