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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: roll · chair · cap · vault · safe · date · race · file

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. cap — a hat
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. file — a document
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. race — the arms race
  8. date — the fruit
  9. file — a line of people
  10. roll — a cake
  11. cap — of ice
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. cap — a lid
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. roll — a list
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. chair — a leader
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. race — humankind
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. vault — a safe
  24. file — a tool

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