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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. race — humankind
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. fall — the season
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. rock — music
  10. vault — a safe
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. chest — of your body
  13. race — a contest
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. fall — to drop
  16. wound — an injury
  17. chest — a box
  18. rock — a stone
  19. race — the arms race
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  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