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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 120 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. race — a contest
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. lie — to recline
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. chair — a leader
  8. vault — a safe
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. file — a line of people
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wake — a trail
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. file — a tool
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. race — the arms race
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. race — humankind
  23. file — a document
  24. ruler — for measuring

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