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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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Word bank
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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 · vault · race · march · saw · pitcher · leaves · temple

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. chair — a leader
  3. march — the month
  4. race — humankind
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. saw — the tool
  7. race — the arms race
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. vault — a safe
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. march — music
  17. saw — the tool
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. march — the month
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. temple — a place of worship

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