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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. rock — music
  5. cold — an illness
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. bear — the animal
  8. race — the arms race
  9. cold — not warm
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. spring — of water
  12. bear — the animal
  13. race — a contest
  14. vault — a safe
  15. roll — a cake
  16. roll — a list
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. spring — a coil
  20. race — humankind
  21. spring — the season
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. rock — a stone
  24. safe — a strongbox

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