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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. court — for sport
  3. plane — a tool
  4. race — the arms race
  5. branch — a division
  6. race — humankind
  7. court — of law
  8. race — a contest
  9. mug — a cup
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. club — for dancing
  12. club — for golf
  13. mug — to rob
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. court — of a king
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. club — a group
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. vault — a safe
  22. last — to go on
  23. mug — a face
  24. last — finally

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