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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: row · race · bore · hand · vault · fan · last · key

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. key — in music
  3. last — to go on
  4. hand — help
  5. key — the most important part
  6. race — humankind
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bore — to tire
  11. last — final
  12. vault — a safe
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. last — finally
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. row — a line
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. hand — in cards
  20. race — the arms race
  21. row — to paddle
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. bore — to drill
  24. fan — a supporter

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