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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: race · board · branch · vault · mate · capital

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. capital — money
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. mate — to breed
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. mate — a partner
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. branch — a division
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. mate — a friend
  11. capital — a city
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. race — the arms race
  14. vault — a safe
  15. race — a contest
  16. board — a committee
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. board — to get on

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