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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 116 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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. ground — crushed
  3. race — a contest
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. ground — the earth
  6. race — humankind
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. race — the arms race
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. rash — hasty
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. rash — a series
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. ground — a position
  21. pitch — completely
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. branch — a division
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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