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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: saw · pass · land · mate · scale · vault · race · wound

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. mate — to breed
  3. pass — a permit
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. land — to come down
  6. mate — a partner
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. land — a country
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — a contest
  16. scale — in music
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. race — humankind
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. vault — a safe
  21. mate — a friend
  22. scale — size or range
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. scale — for weighing

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