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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: rash · wound · shower · fork · vault · pit · charge · race

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. vault — a safe
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. charge — in control
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — to wash
  9. shower — rain
  10. wound — an injury
  11. race — a contest
  12. rash — hasty
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. charge — a price
  16. wound — an injury
  17. charge — electricity
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. rash — a series
  21. race — humankind
  22. race — the arms race
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pit — in a 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