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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. race — a contest
  4. hand — help
  5. last — to go on
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. last — finally
  9. race — the arms race
  10. vault — a safe
  11. pop — music
  12. suit — in cards
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — a series
  16. pop — soda
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. last — final
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. race — humankind
  21. suit — to fit
  22. pop — to visit
  23. suit — clothes
  24. hand — in cards

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