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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 · cell · bear · band · charge · game · march · stick

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. vault — a safe
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. cell — a phone
  6. march — the month
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. charge — electricity
  13. cell — in biology
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bear — the animal
  16. charge — a price
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. charge — in control
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. march — music
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a ring
  23. game — a match
  24. bear — the animal

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