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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: snap · swing · racket · ground · toast · sharp · rock · race

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. swing — to play on
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. ground — the earth
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — a position
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — clever
  11. swing — in golf
  12. race — humankind
  13. race — a contest
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. swing — music
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. race — the arms race
  22. toast — bread
  23. rock — music
  24. rock — a stone

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