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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. race — the arms race
  3. lean — thin
  4. ground — a position
  5. race — humankind
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. ground — crushed
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bear — the animal
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. ground — the earth
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. vault — a safe
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. lean — to bend
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. race — a contest
  22. pass — a permit
  23. bear — the animal
  24. squash — the vegetable

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