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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: ball · rash · chest · vault · mine · saw · mate · race

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. chest — of your body
  3. saw — the tool
  4. race — the arms race
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. rash — a series
  7. race — humankind
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. ball — a dance
  11. mine — for digging
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. saw — the tool
  14. chest — a box
  15. mate — a partner
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. chest — of your body
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. race — a contest
  20. ball — a great time
  21. rash — hasty
  22. vault — a safe
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. mate — to breed

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