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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. season — in sport
  4. race — humankind
  5. can — a tin
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. toast — bread
  9. season — of the year
  10. can — a tin
  11. content — the amount
  12. swing — to play on
  13. race — a contest
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. content — happy
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. swing — in golf
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. vault — a safe
  20. can — to be able to
  21. swing — music
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. season — to add flavour

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