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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: toast · racket · wave · bat · race · plane

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. race — humankind
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. race — the arms race
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — the animal
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. plane — a tool
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. race — a contest

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