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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: object · bay · lie · kid · band · court · race · vault

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. court — of law
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. race — the arms race
  5. object — a thing
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. object — to protest
  8. kid — to tease
  9. object — an aim
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — to recline
  14. band — a music group
  15. race — humankind
  16. kid — child
  17. court — for sport
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. court — of a king
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. vault — a safe
  22. race — a contest
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. lie — an untruth

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