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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. content — the amount
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. toast — bread
  5. mark — a grade
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. ball — a dance
  8. content — happy
  9. rash — a series
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. current — happening now
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. race — the arms race
  15. ball — a great time
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. rash — hasty
  18. mark — a trace
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. race — humankind
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. current — of water
  23. race — a contest
  24. current — electric

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