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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. race — the arms race
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. club — for dancing
  5. suit — to fit
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. suit — clothes
  8. degree — from a university
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. degree — temperature
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. club — for golf
  13. vault — a safe
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. degree — an amount
  16. race — a contest
  17. wind — moving air
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. club — a group
  21. suit — in cards
  22. sharp — clever
  23. wind — moving air
  24. race — humankind

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