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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. rock — music
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. vault — a safe
  6. race — humankind
  7. degree — from a university
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. race — a contest
  10. degree — an amount
  11. race — the arms race
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. key — the most important part
  15. key — for a lock
  16. fork — in a road
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. key — in music
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bulb — for light
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. rock — a stone
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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