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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. race — the arms race
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. ball — a dance
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. vault — a safe
  8. shower — to wash
  9. race — a contest
  10. band — a music group
  11. shower — rain
  12. race — humankind
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. season — of the year
  17. ball — a great time
  18. season — in sport
  19. pit — in a race
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bat — the animal
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. band — a ring
  24. season — to add flavour

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