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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: staff · vault · race · chest · board · can · arm · band

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  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. arm — part of the body
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. staff — employees
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. staff — employees
  7. race — a contest
  8. staff — a stick
  9. chest — a box
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. band — a music group
  13. race — humankind
  14. board — to get on
  15. chest — of your body
  16. board — a committee
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. can — a tin
  19. race — the arms race
  20. band — a ring
  21. vault — a safe
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. chest — of your body
  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