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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  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. wave — of the sea
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. sharp — clever
  4. race — a contest
  5. vault — a safe
  6. squash — to crush
  7. court — for sport
  8. press — a publisher
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. race — humankind
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. press — newspapers
  19. press — to push
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. court — of law
  22. court — of a king
  23. ruler — for measuring
  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