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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: wake · key · clip · arm · race · sharp · stock · toast

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. clip — a video
  4. wake — a trail
  5. race — a contest
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. toast — bread
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. clip — to cut
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. race — the arms race
  13. key — in music
  14. key — the most important part
  15. key — for a lock
  16. clip — for paper
  17. race — humankind
  18. sharp — clever
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. stock — shares
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. stock — goods
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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