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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. race — humankind
  3. last — finally
  4. rest — what's left
  5. race — a contest
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. track — a path
  9. bore — to tire
  10. last — final
  11. race — the arms race
  12. rest — a break
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. deal — to handle
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. vault — a safe
  19. perch — the fish
  20. bore — to drill
  21. rest — what's left
  22. last — to go on
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. track — to keep track

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