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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: arm · stick · chest · pop · bulb · capital · vault · race

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. vault — a safe
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. race — the arms race
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. capital — money
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. race — humankind
  13. race — a contest
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. capital — a city
  16. pop — music
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. chest — of your body
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. chest — a box
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — soda
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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