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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: foot · pitcher · mug · vault · season · race · key · fan

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. key — the most important part
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. season — of the year
  5. race — the arms race
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. race — humankind
  9. foot — a measure
  10. mug — to rob
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. mug — a face
  13. mug — a cup
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. season — in sport
  17. key — in music
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. race — a contest
  20. key — for a lock
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. vault — a safe
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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