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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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Word bank
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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. pit — a hole
  3. vault — a safe
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. last — finally
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. face — to confront
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. last — final
  13. pit — in a race
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. face — part of the head
  17. race — the arms race
  18. last — to go on
  19. fine — all right
  20. race — humankind
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. race — a contest
  24. face — to point toward

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