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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. race — a contest
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. race — the arms race
  6. key — in music
  7. tear — to rip
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. court — of law
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. race — humankind
  13. court — for sport
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. court — of a king
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pass — a permit
  21. key — the most important part
  22. vault — a safe
  23. key — for a lock
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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