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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. clip — for paper
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. race — the arms race
  8. hand — help
  9. drill — army training
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. drill — a practice
  13. vault — a safe
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. race — humankind
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. hand — in cards
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. chair — a leader
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. clip — to cut
  23. drill — the tool
  24. clip — a video

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