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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. race — humankind
  3. last — to go on
  4. race — a contest
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. prune — to trim
  10. mark — a grade
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. mark — a trace
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a city
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. prune — to trim
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. race — the arms race
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. last — final
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. vault — a safe
  24. last — finally

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