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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. vault — a safe
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. race — humankind
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. rash — hasty
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. rash — a series
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. race — the arms race
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. wake — a trail
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. fork — in a road
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. race — a contest
  24. fork — a garden tool

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