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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: pit · chest · plane · fall · race · vault

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. race — the arms race
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. plane — a tool
  5. race — a contest
  6. race — humankind
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. vault — a safe
  10. fall — the season
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pit — a hole
  13. chest — of your body
  14. fall — to drop
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. pit — in a race
  17. chest — a box
  18. chest — of your body

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