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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 116 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: race · rock · vault · chip · court · band · straw · tear

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. vault — a safe
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. chip — to eat
  5. tear — from crying
  6. court — of law
  7. chip — for betting
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. race — the arms race
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. rock — music
  13. band — a music group
  14. race — humankind
  15. tear — from crying
  16. race — a contest
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. court — for sport
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. rock — a stone
  21. band — a ring
  22. court — of a king
  23. tear — to rip
  24. band — a rubber band

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