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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: squash · race · toast · net · chest · nail · fine · face

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. race — a contest
  4. chest — of your body
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. fine — all right
  7. face — to point toward
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. race — humankind
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. race — the arms race
  12. fine — high quality
  13. net — for catching
  14. face — to confront
  15. chest — a box
  16. squash — the sport
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. net — in sport
  20. face — part of the head
  21. squash — to crush
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. chest — of your body
  24. net — after costs

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