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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. game — a match
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — to come from
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. race — the arms race
  12. prune — to trim
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. prune — to trim
  15. race — a contest
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. sharp — clever
  18. shower — rain
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. game — wild animals
  23. vault — a safe
  24. shower — to wash

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