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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. chip — to eat
  4. ground — crushed
  5. vault — a safe
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. chip — for betting
  9. tear — from crying
  10. game — a match
  11. ground — a position
  12. tear — from crying
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. ground — the earth
  15. race — humankind
  16. game — wild animals
  17. pop — to visit
  18. tear — to rip
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. race — a contest
  21. rush — hurry
  22. pop — music
  23. race — the arms race
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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