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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. scale — in music
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. scale — size or range
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. race — the arms race
  7. race — a contest
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. rest — a break
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. race — humankind
  13. toast — bread
  14. rest — what's left
  15. cell — a phone
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. cell — in biology
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. rest — what's left
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. toast — the most admired

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