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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 120 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: lash · track · shower · face · vault · rock · cold · race

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. shower — rain
  3. rock — a stone
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. race — humankind
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. race — a contest
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — an illness
  13. face — to point toward
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. race — the arms race
  16. vault — a safe
  17. track — a path
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. track — a song
  20. face — to confront
  21. rock — music
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. track — to keep track
  24. shower — to wash

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