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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 · vault · clip · charge · swing · file · band · pound

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. pound — a weight
  3. race — the arms race
  4. charge — in control
  5. race — humankind
  6. swing — to play on
  7. file — a tool
  8. charge — a price
  9. clip — for paper
  10. band — a music group
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. clip — to cut
  13. vault — a safe
  14. file — a line of people
  15. race — a contest
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. swing — music
  18. charge — electricity
  19. swing — in golf
  20. file — a document
  21. clip — a video
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. band — a rubber band

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