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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 · current · scale · staff · fork · snap · race · stick

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. fork — in a road
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. scale — size or range
  6. race — humankind
  7. staff — employees
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. current — electric
  10. current — of water
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — a contest
  16. staff — a stick
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. scale — in music
  21. staff — employees
  22. current — happening now
  23. snap — to click
  24. scale — for weighing

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