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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: last · vault · bank · tear · bat · track · racket · race

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. vault — a safe
  3. race — the arms race
  4. bank — of a river
  5. track — a path
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. last — finally
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bank — for money
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. track — a song
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. track — to keep track
  14. last — to go on
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. bank — for money
  18. tear — to rip
  19. last — final
  20. tear — from crying
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. race — humankind
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — in an idiom

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