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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 116 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. vault — a safe
  3. rule — government
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. stem — to come from
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. race — the arms race
  9. fine — all right
  10. root — of a word
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. race — humankind
  14. rule — a law
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. race — a contest
  17. root — the cause
  18. dip — to sink
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. fine — high quality
  21. root — of a plant
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. dip — a sauce

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