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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. charge — a price
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. race — a contest
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — a friend
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. mate — to breed
  10. pop — music
  11. season — in sport
  12. vault — a safe
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. charge — electricity
  16. charge — in control
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. pop — to visit
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. race — humankind
  22. season — of the year
  23. race — the arms race
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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