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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. band — a music group
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. ground — the earth
  7. vault — a safe
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. dip — to sink
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. row — a line
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. race — humankind
  14. key — in music
  15. ground — a position
  16. key — the most important part
  17. race — the arms race
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. key — for a lock
  20. race — a contest
  21. row — to paddle
  22. band — a ring
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. ground — crushed

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