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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: lash · cap · march · vault · board · wound · race · season

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. cap — a lid
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. board — a committee
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. season — of the year
  9. march — the month
  10. board — to get on
  11. vault — a safe
  12. cap — of ice
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. march — music
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. wound — an injury
  17. race — a contest
  18. season — in sport
  19. race — humankind
  20. cap — a hat
  21. march — the month
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. race — the arms race
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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