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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. race — the arms race
  5. club — for dancing
  6. race — humankind
  7. degree — from a university
  8. vault — a safe
  9. swing — music
  10. rule — government
  11. degree — temperature
  12. ground — the earth
  13. race — a contest
  14. ground — a position
  15. club — for golf
  16. rule — a law
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. degree — an amount
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. club — a group
  22. lie — to recline
  23. ground — crushed
  24. swing — in golf

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