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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. race — the arms race
  3. wake — a trail
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. saw — the tool
  6. rush — hurry
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. race — a contest
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. capital — a city
  15. race — humankind
  16. last — finally
  17. date — the fruit
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — final
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. capital — money

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