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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: chair · race · last · vault · leaves · swing · wake · march

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. march — music
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. swing — music
  5. chair — a leader
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. race — the arms race
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. march — the month
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. swing — in golf
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. vault — a safe
  14. swing — to play on
  15. march — the month
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. wake — a trail
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — finally
  20. last — final
  21. race — humankind
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. chair — a professorship

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