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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: rash · cold · track · toast · vault · press · wake · race

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — a publisher
  3. toast — bread
  4. rash — a series
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wake — a trail
  10. cold — not warm
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. race — a contest
  13. press — newspapers
  14. race — humankind
  15. track — a path
  16. cold — an illness
  17. race — the arms race
  18. track — a song
  19. track — to keep track
  20. vault — a safe
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — on the skin

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