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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. race — the arms race
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — a safe
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. content — the amount
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. snap — to click
  14. content — happy
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. race — a contest
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — tied together
  22. race — humankind
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bound — obliged

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