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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. race — a contest
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. content — happy
  6. content — the amount
  7. club — a group
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. pit — a hole
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. race — humankind
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. pit — in a race
  15. club — for golf
  16. bulb — for light
  17. mark — a grade
  18. club — for dancing
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. mark — a trace
  23. race — the arms race
  24. sharp — clever

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