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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 · rash · date · wave · race · staff · rock

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. cell — in biology
  5. race — humankind
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. cell — a phone
  8. staff — a stick
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. vault — a safe
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. rash — a series
  15. rock — music
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. date — the fruit
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — employees
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. rock — a stone
  23. race — the arms race
  24. race — a contest

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