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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. tube — a container
  3. race — humankind
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. race — the arms race
  13. last — final
  14. tube — the underground
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. vault — a safe
  17. last — to go on
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. bat — the animal
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. last — finally
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. race — a contest

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