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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: cell · vault · mate · rule · race · pass · hand · dip

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. mate — a friend
  4. dip — to sink
  5. hand — in cards
  6. race — the arms race
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. pass — a permit
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rule — government
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. cell — in biology
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. vault — a safe
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. hand — help
  19. cell — a phone
  20. mate — to breed
  21. race — a contest
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. rule — a law
  24. race — humankind

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