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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 · plane · racket · straw · track · lie · roll · race

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. roll — a cake
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. track — a song
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. lie — to recline
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. race — the arms race
  15. plane — a tool
  16. track — to keep track
  17. roll — a list
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. race — humankind
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. track — a path
  22. vault — a safe
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. lie — an untruth

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