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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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Word bank
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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: bass · can · march · cell · race · vault

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. march — the month
  3. can — a tin
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bass — low music
  6. vault — a safe
  7. cell — a phone
  8. can — a tin
  9. race — humankind
  10. can — to be able to
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. race — a contest
  13. race — the arms race
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. cell — in biology

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