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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: cell · vault · last · toast · race · rash

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. race — a contest
  3. rash — hasty
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. vault — a safe
  7. toast — bread
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. race — the arms race
  10. last — to go on
  11. race — humankind
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. last — finally
  14. cell — in biology
  15. last — final
  16. rash — a series
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. cell — a phone

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