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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 120 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 · mate · band · calf · game · content · lean

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. content — happy
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. lean — thin
  6. band — a ring
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. race — a contest
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. mate — a partner
  13. vault — a safe
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a friend
  16. content — the amount
  17. race — the arms race
  18. band — a music group
  19. game — a match
  20. game — wild animals
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. race — humankind
  24. lean — to bend

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