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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. squash — the sport
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. race — humankind
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. rest — what's left
  8. content — happy
  9. squash — to crush
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. rest — a break
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. rest — what's left
  18. toast — bread
  19. race — the arms race
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. content — the amount
  22. race — a contest
  23. kick — in football
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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