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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 116 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. race — humankind
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lean — to bend
  5. race — a contest
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. race — the arms race
  9. fine — high quality
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. fine — all right
  12. clip — to cut
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. clip — for paper
  16. lean — thin
  17. press — to push
  18. press — newspapers
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. kid — to tease
  21. press — a publisher
  22. vault — a safe
  23. clip — a video
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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