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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: vault · calf · bat · race · squash · mate · date · rock

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  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. race — a contest
  2. mate — a partner
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. squash — the sport
  7. rock — a stone
  8. date — the fruit
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mate — to breed
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. vault — a safe
  17. bat — the animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. rock — music
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. race — humankind
  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