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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: club · cabinet · date · field · racket · toast · lean · race

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. club — for dancing
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. toast — bread
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — the fruit
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. field — farmland
  12. club — a group
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. lean — to bend
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. club — for golf
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. race — a contest
  19. field — for sport
  20. lean — thin
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. race — humankind
  24. field — a subject

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