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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: bound · root · lash · vault · mate · cold · racket · kid

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kid — to tease
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. root — of a plant
  5. vault — a safe
  6. mate — a friend
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. cold — an illness
  9. kid — child
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — tied together
  12. root — of a word
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. mate — to breed
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. bound — obliged
  23. mate — a partner
  24. root — the cause

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