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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 · calf · land · court · band · craft · straw

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. race — the arms race
  3. land — to come down
  4. vault — a safe
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. court — of law
  7. craft — boats
  8. band — a ring
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. court — for sport
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. band — a music group
  14. craft — a skill
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. land — ground
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. race — a contest
  19. court — of a king
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. race — humankind
  23. land — a country
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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