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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. mug — to rob
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. race — a contest
  6. pit — in a race
  7. wound — an injury
  8. vault — a safe
  9. pit — a hole
  10. content — the amount
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. mug — a face
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. content — happy
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. wound — an injury
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. race — the arms race
  22. mug — a cup
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. wake — a trail

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