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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. toast — bread
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. race — the arms race
  10. club — for dancing
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. row — a line
  15. club — a group
  16. row — to paddle
  17. perch — the fish
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. club — for golf
  21. bat — the animal
  22. race — humankind
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bat — for baseball

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