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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. file — a tool
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. cap — of ice
  6. race — the arms race
  7. file — a line of people
  8. wind — moving air
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. snap — to click
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. race — humankind
  16. cap — a hat
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pass — a permit
  21. vault — a safe
  22. file — a document
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. cap — a lid

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