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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  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. club — for dancing
  2. branch — a division
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. club — for golf
  6. bound — certain
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. vault — a safe
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — tied together
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. race — a contest
  16. race — humankind
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. club — a group
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  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