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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — a trail
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. last — final
  6. hand — help
  7. race — a contest
  8. last — to go on
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. squash — the sport
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. squash — to crush
  13. race — the arms race
  14. last — finally
  15. toast — bread
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. race — humankind

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