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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: mate · chest · club · vault · rash · rest · fan · mine

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. rest — a break
  3. rash — a series
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. club — a group
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. chest — of your body
  9. rest — what's left
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. chest — of your body
  12. mate — a partner
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mate — to breed
  16. chest — a box
  17. club — for golf
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rash — hasty
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. club — for dancing
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. vault — a safe

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