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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 116 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: content · land · wave · racket · saw · vault · mine · race

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. vault — a safe
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. land — to come down
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. race — humankind
  9. land — ground
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. saw — the tool
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. race — a contest
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. land — a country
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. content — happy
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. mine — for digging
  23. race — the arms race
  24. content — the amount

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