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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: vault · leaves · racket · race · land · straw · season · saw

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. land — to come down
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. saw — the tool
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. land — a country
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. vault — a safe
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. season — of the year
  14. race — a contest
  15. land — ground
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — the arms race
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. season — in sport
  24. straw — a straw man

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