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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. race — the arms race
  5. race — a contest
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. rule — a law
  8. cap — a hat
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. club — a group
  11. rule — government
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. cap — of ice
  14. vault — a safe
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. race — humankind
  17. branch — a division
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. club — for dancing
  22. bat — the animal
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. cap — a lid

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