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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 116 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. row — to paddle
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. vault — a safe
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. chip — for betting
  8. ground — a position
  9. ground — crushed
  10. land — a country
  11. race — humankind
  12. row — a line
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. land — ground
  15. race — the arms race
  16. saw — the tool
  17. ground — the earth
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. rush — hurry
  22. land — to come down
  23. race — a contest
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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