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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 · mine · race · cap · suit · nail · saw · squash

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — to crush
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. vault — a safe
  6. cap — a hat
  7. saw — the tool
  8. mine — for digging
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. suit — to fit
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. saw — the tool
  13. race — the arms race
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. race — a contest
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. race — humankind
  21. suit — clothes
  22. suit — in cards
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. cap — a lid

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