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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 120 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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. race — a contest
  5. wind — moving air
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. vault — a safe
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. spell — magic
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. race — the arms race
  12. wind — moving air
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. hand — help
  15. stock — goods
  16. spell — letters
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. stock — shares
  20. hand — in cards
  21. spell — a short time
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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