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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: capital · vault · wake · rash · race · mate

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. race — humankind
  4. vault — a safe
  5. race — a contest
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a city
  8. race — the arms race
  9. mate — a friend
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. mate — a partner
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. rash — hasty

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