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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: vault · coach · lash · rule · rest · toast

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. vault — a safe
  5. toast — bread
  6. rule — a law
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. rest — a break
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. rule — government
  18. lash — an eyelash

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