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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. face — to point toward
  3. vault — a safe
  4. land — a country
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. file — a tool
  7. face — to confront
  8. race — the arms race
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. face — part of the head
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. bank — for money
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. land — ground
  15. bank — of a river
  16. land — to come down
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. race — humankind
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. bank — for money
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a line of people

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