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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 · pass · race · mine · march · bear

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. 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. vault — a safe
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. mine — for digging
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. race — a contest
  7. pass — a permit
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. race — humankind
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. race — the arms race
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bear — the animal
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. 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