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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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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: vault · mate · bat · game · pit · hand · bulb · race

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. mate — to breed
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. vault — a safe
  5. race — the arms race
  6. hand — help
  7. mate — a friend
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bat — the animal
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pit — in a race
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a match
  14. pit — a hole
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. race — a contest
  20. race — humankind
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bat — in an idiom

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