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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 · pass · vault · season · ground · band · file · pitch

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. ground — crushed
  3. pass — a permit
  4. vault — a safe
  5. race — the arms race
  6. pitch — completely
  7. file — a tool
  8. race — humankind
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a line of people
  12. ground — the earth
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. season — of the year
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. race — a contest
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a ring
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. season — in sport
  24. ground — a position

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