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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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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: wax · bat · pit · race · vault · stand · mark · fork

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. pit — in a race
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. mark — a grade
  7. race — a contest
  8. mark — a trace
  9. stand — to bear
  10. race — the arms race
  11. vault — a safe
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. bat — the animal
  17. fork — in a road
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. fork — a garden 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