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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. race — humankind
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. race — a contest
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. rash — a series
  13. net — after costs
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. net — for catching
  17. mine — for digging
  18. net — in sport
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. race — the arms race
  22. rash — hasty
  23. wake — a trail
  24. toast — bread

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