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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: mate · rush · band · stick · pit · bat · sharp · vault

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. vault — a safe
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. band — a ring
  6. rush — hurry
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bat — the animal
  9. pit — a hole
  10. mate — a friend
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. pit — in a race
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. band — a music group
  19. mate — a partner
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. mate — to breed

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