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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  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. mark — to pay attention
  2. cap — a lid
  3. stem — to come from
  4. race — humankind
  5. mark — a trace
  6. ground — crushed
  7. vault — a safe
  8. cap — of ice
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. race — a contest
  11. mark — a grade
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cap — a hat
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. ground — a position
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. ground — the earth
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. stem — of a plant
  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