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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: kid · bay · vault · staff · root · race · pitcher · stand

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. staff — employees
  5. kid — child
  6. race — humankind
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. staff — employees
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. staff — a stick
  13. vault — a safe
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. root — the cause
  16. stand — to bear
  17. root — of a plant
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. race — the arms race
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. root — of a word
  23. race — a contest
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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