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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wave · pitcher · vault · rash · stand · race · track · season

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. stand — to bear
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — hasty
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. rash — a series
  9. season — in sport
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. track — a path
  13. track — a song
  14. track — to keep track
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. race — a contest
  17. season — of the year
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. race — humankind
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. race — the arms race
  22. vault — a safe
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. pitcher — a jug

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