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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. race — humankind
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. mark — a trace
  6. cell — in biology
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. race — the arms race
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. stock — shares
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. toast — bread
  15. last — finally
  16. last — final
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — a trail
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stock — goods
  21. last — to go on
  22. race — a contest
  23. cell — a phone
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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