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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. stand — to bear
  7. race — a contest
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. race — humankind
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. march — the month
  16. race — the arms race
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. clip — a video
  20. clip — for paper
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. clip — to cut
  24. stand — on your feet

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