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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. spring — of water
  4. key — the most important part
  5. vault — a safe
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. wound — an injury
  8. lean — thin
  9. spring — a coil
  10. key — for a lock
  11. race — humankind
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. race — a contest
  14. ground — crushed
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. key — in music
  18. lean — to bend
  19. dip — to sink
  20. race — the arms race
  21. wound — an injury
  22. spring — the season
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. ground — the earth

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