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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. sharp — clever
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. saw — the tool
  10. race — humankind
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. race — a contest
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wound — an injury
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. craft — a skill
  17. fine — all right
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. wound — an injury
  21. race — the arms race
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. fine — high quality
  24. craft — boats

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