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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. race — the arms race
  3. object — to protest
  4. vault — a safe
  5. branch — a division
  6. land — to come down
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. race — a contest
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — a series
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. land — a country
  15. swing — music
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. object — a thing
  18. rash — hasty
  19. race — humankind
  20. swing — in golf
  21. object — an aim
  22. swing — to play on
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. coach — a trainer

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