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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: rule · cold · race · pit · mouse · vault · rush · swing

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. swing — in golf
  3. pit — in a race
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. rush — hurry
  6. race — humankind
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. rule — government
  9. cold — an illness
  10. vault — a safe
  11. race — the arms race
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. swing — to play on
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. cold — not warm
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. swing — music
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. rule — a law
  22. pit — a hole
  23. race — a contest
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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