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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 · stock · pitcher · track · chip · roll · face · race

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. race — the arms race
  4. chip — for betting
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. face — to confront
  7. track — to keep track
  8. chip — to eat
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. race — humankind
  11. face — part of the head
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. face — to point toward
  15. roll — a list
  16. roll — a cake
  17. race — a contest
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. toast — bread
  20. track — a path
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — shares
  23. track — a song
  24. chip — in a computer

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