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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: race · wound · dip · file · toast · ground · wake · present

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. present — there
  4. toast — bread
  5. present — a gift
  6. ground — crushed
  7. dip — to sink
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. race — humankind
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. wound — an injury
  12. file — a tool
  13. ground — the earth
  14. file — a line of people
  15. present — the time now
  16. ground — a position
  17. wound — an injury
  18. race — the arms race
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. race — a contest
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. dip — to dunk

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