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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 116 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: perch · current · race · rule · object · vault · fall · land

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. land — ground
  3. perch — the fish
  4. race — a contest
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. object — to protest
  7. object — an aim
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rule — government
  10. land — to come down
  11. fall — the season
  12. current — electric
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. current — of water
  15. fall — to drop
  16. current — happening now
  17. fall — to drop
  18. race — the arms race
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. vault — a safe
  21. rule — a law
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. land — a country
  24. race — humankind

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