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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: drill · race · cell · vault · mine · safe · season · ruler

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. drill — the tool
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. drill — army training
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. drill — a practice
  10. vault — a safe
  11. cell — in biology
  12. race — a contest
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. race — humankind
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. race — the arms race
  19. season — in sport
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. mine — for digging
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. cell — a phone
  24. ruler — for measuring

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