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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: march · vault · jam · kid · drill · fan · band · race

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. drill — the tool
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. drill — army training
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. band — a music group
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. drill — a practice
  10. race — the arms race
  11. march — the month
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. race — a contest
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. vault — a safe
  17. race — humankind
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. march — the month
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — to tease
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. band — a ring
  24. march — music

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