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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: race · toast · vault · rest · band · deal · racket · land

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. land — to come down
  4. deal — to handle
  5. race — humankind
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. toast — bread
  8. land — ground
  9. rest — what's left
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. rest — a break
  12. race — a contest
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. race — the arms race
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. rest — what's left
  18. band — a ring
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. land — a country
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. vault — a safe

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