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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. ground — crushed
  5. race — a contest
  6. vault — a safe
  7. prune — to trim
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cell — in biology
  11. drill — a practice
  12. staff — a stick
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cell — a phone
  15. ground — the earth
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — army training
  19. prune — to trim
  20. race — humankind
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — employees
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. race — the arms race

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