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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: toast · present · row · race · mouse · rush · date · stick

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. row — a line
  3. present — there
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — the fruit
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. race — a contest
  8. present — a gift
  9. race — the arms race
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. rush — hurry
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. toast — bread
  16. present — the time now
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. race — humankind
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — to paddle
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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