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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 are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. file — a tool
  3. wind — moving air
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — the arms race
  7. vault — a safe
  8. drill — army training
  9. file — a document
  10. charge — a price
  11. ground — a position
  12. file — a line of people
  13. charge — in control
  14. race — a contest
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — certain
  18. drill — the tool
  19. ground — the earth
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. drill — a practice
  22. charge — electricity
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. wind — moving air

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