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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: jam · wake · board · racket · toast · firm · race · land

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — humankind
  4. land — ground
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. firm — decided
  11. race — a contest
  12. firm — steady
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. board — to get on
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. firm — a company
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. toast — bread
  19. land — a country
  20. land — to come down
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. wake — a trail
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. board — a committee

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