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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: vault · bowl · bound · rest · can · chest · race · pitch

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. bound — obliged
  3. chest — of your body
  4. race — a contest
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. can — to be able to
  7. race — the arms race
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. can — a tin
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. vault — a safe
  14. bound — certain
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. rest — a break
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pitch — completely
  21. can — a tin
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bound — tied together
  24. chest — a box

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