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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: cold · row · vault · ruler · club · race · stand · roll

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. roll — a list
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. race — a contest
  5. row — a line
  6. cold — not warm
  7. roll — a cake
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — for golf
  11. vault — a safe
  12. cold — an illness
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. race — humankind
  17. club — a group
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. row — to paddle
  21. race — the arms race
  22. stand — to bear
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. roll — on a roll

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