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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: land · bound · vault · mug · tear · race · key · file

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — humankind
  5. mug — a face
  6. key — the most important part
  7. land — to come down
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bound — obliged
  10. file — a document
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. vault — a safe
  13. file — a line of people
  14. race — the arms race
  15. key — in music
  16. tear — from crying
  17. key — for a lock
  18. bound — tied together
  19. tear — to rip
  20. file — a tool
  21. bound — certain
  22. land — a country
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mug — to rob

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