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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. race — a contest
  3. cell — in biology
  4. squash — to crush
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. march — the month
  11. vault — a safe
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. stand — to bear
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. race — the arms race
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. race — humankind
  18. march — the month
  19. squash — the sport
  20. cell — a phone
  21. branch — a division
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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