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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: chair · pit · wake · mate · vault · bore · lash · race

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. wake — a trail
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. mate — a friend
  5. bore — to tire
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. mate — to breed
  9. race — the arms race
  10. pit — a hole
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. mate — a partner
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. vault — a safe
  18. race — humankind
  19. pit — in a race
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. race — a contest
  22. bore — to drill
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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