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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  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. sharp — exactly
  2. kid — child
  3. wake — a trail
  4. sharp — clever
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. vault — a safe
  7. race — a contest
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. race — the arms race
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. branch — a division
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. ball — a great time
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. kid — to tease
  19. stand — to bear
  20. ball — a dance
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. race — humankind
  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