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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: vault · rock · land · stand · race · shower · drill · pitch

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. land — a country
  3. race — the arms race
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. land — to come down
  6. rock — music
  7. stand — to bear
  8. land — ground
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. pitch — completely
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. shower — to wash
  15. rock — a stone
  16. vault — a safe
  17. drill — a practice
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. shower — rain
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. race — humankind
  22. race — a contest
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. drill — the tool

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