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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 · toast · lash · march · deal · vault · band · bass

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — music
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. toast — bread
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. race — the arms race
  9. bass — the fish
  10. march — the month
  11. vault — a safe
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. bass — low music
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. race — a contest
  16. band — a music group
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. race — humankind
  21. deal — to handle
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. band — a ring
  24. toast — the most admired

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