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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: rest · scale · coach · race · vault · pound

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. rest — what's left
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. rest — a break
  5. scale — size or range
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. scale — in music
  8. race — a contest
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. race — the arms race
  11. rest — what's left
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. race — humankind
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pound — a weight
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. vault — a safe
  18. coach — a trainer

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