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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 · shower · game · net · mark · rule · snap · race

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. race — humankind
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. net — in sport
  6. race — the arms race
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. game — wild animals
  9. shower — rain
  10. mark — a grade
  11. race — a contest
  12. mark — a trace
  13. rule — government
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. rule — a law
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — after costs
  19. shower — to wash
  20. toast — bread
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. game — a match

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