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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 124 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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. hand — help
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — a contest
  9. fine — all right
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. wound — an injury
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. bulb — for light
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. squash — to crush
  18. wound — an injury
  19. race — humankind
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. bulb — for light
  22. fine — high quality
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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