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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. key — in music
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. net — in sport
  8. ground — a position
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. key — the most important part
  11. net — after costs
  12. ground — the earth
  13. file — a tool
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. race — a contest
  16. vault — a safe
  17. file — a document
  18. race — humankind
  19. wind — moving air
  20. key — for a lock
  21. net — for catching
  22. file — a line of people
  23. ground — crushed
  24. race — the arms race

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