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

Word bank: race · wind · bat · safe · band · ground · jam · toast

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — a position
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. bat — the animal
  9. band — a ring
  10. race — the arms race
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. wind — moving air
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. band — a music group
  17. toast — bread
  18. wind — moving air
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. race — a contest
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. race — humankind
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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