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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 120 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: chair · cap · pit · bank · vault · race

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. chair — a leader
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. race — a contest
  5. cap — of ice
  6. bank — for money
  7. race — humankind
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. vault — a safe
  10. race — the arms race
  11. cap — a hat
  12. bank — for money
  13. pit — in a race
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. cap — a lid
  16. bank — of a river
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. pit — a hole

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