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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. race — a contest
  3. current — happening now
  4. tear — from crying
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. current — of water
  8. face — to confront
  9. tear — to rip
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pit — in a race
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. current — electric
  16. face — part of the head
  17. tear — from crying
  18. last — to go on
  19. race — humankind
  20. last — final
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. vault — a safe
  23. last — finally
  24. face — to point toward

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