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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: spell · race · present · sharp · lash · rock · cell · vault

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. rock — music
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. spell — magic
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. race — a contest
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. race — humankind
  11. sharp — clever
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. spell — letters
  14. cell — in biology
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. spell — a short time
  17. present — a gift
  18. cell — a phone
  19. rock — a stone
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. present — there
  22. vault — a safe
  23. present — the time now
  24. race — the arms race

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