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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: lean · race · cue · vault · stick · land · bat · mate

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  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. race — humankind
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. land — a country
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. lean — to bend
  12. cue — for pool
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — to breed
  15. land — ground
  16. bat — the animal
  17. cue — a hint
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. land — to come down
  20. lean — thin
  21. cue — a signal
  22. vault — a safe
  23. lean — to rest against
  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