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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. ground — crushed
  3. deal — to handle
  4. bear — the animal
  5. fine — all right
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. vault — a safe
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. bear — the animal
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. saw — the tool
  16. race — the arms race
  17. ground — the earth
  18. race — a contest
  19. ground — a position
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. saw — the tool
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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