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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: charge · face · kid · club · vault · nail · race · cap

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. race — the arms race
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. face — to point toward
  5. club — for dancing
  6. vault — a safe
  7. charge — a price
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. charge — in control
  10. face — part of the head
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — a contest
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. club — for golf
  15. cap — a hat
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. kid — to tease
  18. cap — of ice
  19. kid — child
  20. cap — a lid
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. face — to confront
  23. charge — electricity
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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