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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. cap — of ice
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. cap — a hat
  6. toast — bread
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. race — the arms race
  10. rash — a series
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. cap — a lid
  16. race — humankind
  17. rash — hasty
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. fork — in a road
  22. race — a contest
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. arm — part of the body

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