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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. vault — a safe
  5. tear — to rip
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rock — a stone
  13. bat — the animal
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. rock — music
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — the arms race
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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