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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. stem — to come from
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. ball — a dance
  5. race — a contest
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. race — the arms race
  10. wound — an injury
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — a short time
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. fall — to drop
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. ball — a great time
  19. spell — magic
  20. fall — to drop
  21. race — humankind
  22. fall — the season
  23. vault — a safe
  24. wound — an injury

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