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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — for digging
  3. race — a contest
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. lean — to bend
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. race — humankind
  11. capital — money
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. race — the arms race
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. lean — thin
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. vault — a safe
  18. capital — a city
  19. pit — a hole
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. foot — a measure
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. pit — in a race
  24. foot — part of the body

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