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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: chair · squash · stick · race · fork · rash · deal · vault

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. vault — a safe
  5. deal — to handle
  6. race — the arms race
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. fork — in a road
  12. rash — hasty
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. squash — to crush
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. chair — a leader
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. race — humankind
  19. rash — a series
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. squash — the sport
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. race — a contest

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