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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. vault — a safe
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. shower — to wash
  5. saw — the tool
  6. fork — in a road
  7. hand — help
  8. saw — the tool
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. swing — in golf
  11. swing — music
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. swing — to play on
  17. shower — rain
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. race — the arms race
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. race — a contest
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. race — humankind

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