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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: vault · race · season · bat · patient · club · wake · rash

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. club — a group
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — hasty
  6. wake — a trail
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. rash — a series
  9. vault — a safe
  10. club — for golf
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. race — humankind
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. race — the arms race
  15. season — in sport
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. race — a contest
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. season — of the year
  22. club — for dancing
  23. bat — the animal
  24. season — to add flavour

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