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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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Word bank
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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: stand · cold · lie · vault · race · dip

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. stand — to bear
  6. race — a contest
  7. cold — an illness
  8. race — humankind
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. race — the arms race
  11. vault — a safe
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. lie — to recline
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. dip — to sink

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