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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: vault · field · kick · bulb · cap · nail · race · bat

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  2. race — humankind
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bulb — for light
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a lid
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. cap — a hat
  11. field — a subject
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. vault — a safe
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — for sport
  18. bulb — for light
  19. race — a contest
  20. kick — in football
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. bat — the animal
  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