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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: race · degree · rush · stand · vault · tube · snap · march

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. race — the arms race
  3. march — the month
  4. race — a contest
  5. march — music
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. race — humankind
  8. tube — the underground
  9. stand — to bear
  10. vault — a safe
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. snap — to click
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. degree — an amount
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. march — the month
  18. degree — from a university
  19. rush — hurry
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. degree — temperature
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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