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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: rush · season · rash · vault · mouse · chest · current · land

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. season — in sport
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rush — hurry
  5. current — of water
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. chest — of your body
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. land — to come down
  12. season — of the year
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. current — happening now
  15. chest — a box
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. chest — of your body
  18. current — electric
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. vault — a safe
  22. rash — a series
  23. land — a country
  24. land — ground

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