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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: chair · pit · kid · safe · staff · race · vault · pop

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. staff — a stick
  4. pit — in a race
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. vault — a safe
  8. chair — a leader
  9. staff — employees
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. staff — employees
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pop — soda
  15. pit — a hole
  16. kid — child
  17. race — a contest
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. pop — music
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. race — humankind
  23. kid — to tease
  24. race — the arms race

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