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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 116 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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. ball — a great time
  3. march — music
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. band — a ring
  6. bound — tied together
  7. craft — a skill
  8. stand — to bear
  9. vault — a safe
  10. craft — boats
  11. bound — certain
  12. race — a contest
  13. band — a music group
  14. race — humankind
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. ball — a dance
  17. march — the month
  18. bound — obliged
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. race — the arms race
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. march — the month

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