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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. race — a contest
  3. tear — to rip
  4. net — in sport
  5. ground — the earth
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. stem — to come from
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. net — after costs
  12. ground — a position
  13. mate — a friend
  14. tear — from crying
  15. race — the arms race
  16. vault — a safe
  17. ground — crushed
  18. mate — to breed
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. net — for catching
  22. mate — a partner
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. cabinet — ministers

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