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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: fine · mark · cabinet · race · toast · cold · rock · drill

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. drill — the tool
  4. toast — bread
  5. race — a contest
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. mark — a trace
  10. cold — an illness
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. rock — music
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. drill — a practice
  19. race — the arms race
  20. mark — a grade
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rock — a stone
  23. drill — army training
  24. fine — all right

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