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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 120 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: lie · pit · vault · rock · cold · bore · rush · lash

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. cold — not warm
  4. lie — to recline
  5. cold — an illness
  6. pit — in a race
  7. bore — to tire
  8. pit — a hole
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. rock — music
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. bore — to drill
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. vault — a safe
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. rock — a stone

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