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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. land — a country
  3. land — to come down
  4. band — a ring
  5. cue — for pool
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. board — a committee
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — final
  11. board — to get on
  12. cue — a signal
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. last — finally
  15. band — a music group
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. cue — a hint
  18. mark — a grade
  19. vault — a safe
  20. land — ground
  21. race — a contest
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. race — humankind

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