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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: fine · vault · march · race · stand · lean · root · fork

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — high quality
  3. race — the arms race
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. stand — to bear
  8. root — of a word
  9. vault — a safe
  10. lean — thin
  11. race — a contest
  12. root — of a plant
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. march — music
  16. fork — in a road
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. root — the cause
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. lean — to bend
  23. race — humankind
  24. fork — a garden tool

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