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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: mark · mate · land · fall · vault · race · row · racket

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. mate — a friend
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. fall — to drop
  5. race — humankind
  6. fall — the season
  7. race — a contest
  8. vault — a safe
  9. land — ground
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mark — a grade
  12. mate — to breed
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. mark — a trace
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. fall — to drop
  19. mate — a partner
  20. race — the arms race
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. row — a line
  23. row — to paddle
  24. land — a country

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