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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. race — a contest
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bark — to shout
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bat — the animal
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. vault — a safe
  19. cell — in biology
  20. pound — a weight
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. race — the arms race
  24. fan — a supporter

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