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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 120 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: race · cue · cold · rash · vault · mate · chip · court

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. mate — a friend
  3. cue — a hint
  4. race — humankind
  5. cue — a signal
  6. race — a contest
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chip — for betting
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. mate — to breed
  12. rash — a series
  13. cue — for pool
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. vault — a safe
  16. court — of law
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. mate — a partner
  19. cold — not warm
  20. rash — hasty
  21. cold — an illness
  22. court — of a king
  23. race — the arms race
  24. court — for sport

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