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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: bay · rash · perch · vault · drill · board · race · racket

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — the fish
  3. race — the arms race
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. vault — a safe
  6. race — humankind
  7. rash — a series
  8. board — a committee
  9. board — to get on
  10. rash — hasty
  11. race — a contest
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. drill — army training
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. drill — the tool
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. drill — a practice
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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