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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: patient · rush · file · vault · last · race · press · track

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — a song
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. press — newspapers
  5. last — to go on
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. race — the arms race
  10. rush — hurry
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. file — a document
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. last — final
  15. race — humankind
  16. press — to push
  17. race — a contest
  18. last — finally
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a line of people
  21. track — to keep track
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. vault — a safe
  24. press — a publisher

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