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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: content · arm · rash · race · hide · chair · vault · mug

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. race — humankind
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. content — happy
  8. mug — a cup
  9. chair — a leader
  10. race — a contest
  11. vault — a safe
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. mug — a face
  15. mug — to rob
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. content — the amount
  21. race — the arms race
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. rash — hasty

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