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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bank — for money
  3. race — humankind
  4. face — to confront
  5. fall — to drop
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. bank — for money
  9. race — a contest
  10. face — to point toward
  11. face — part of the head
  12. race — the arms race
  13. bank — of a river
  14. fall — the season
  15. court — of law
  16. fall — to drop
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. toast — bread
  20. cold — not warm
  21. vault — a safe
  22. court — for sport
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. court — of a king

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