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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: present · drill · vault · race · field · charge · rule · wake

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. field — a subject
  3. charge — a price
  4. field — for sport
  5. race — humankind
  6. rule — government
  7. drill — a practice
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. charge — in control
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. field — farmland
  13. race — a contest
  14. present — a gift
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — the tool
  19. present — the time now
  20. charge — electricity
  21. rule — a law
  22. vault — a safe
  23. race — the arms race
  24. wake — a trail

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