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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: sharp · fan · toast · race · row · cell · tube · dip

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. toast — bread
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. row — to paddle
  5. cell — a phone
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. tube — a container
  8. cell — in biology
  9. race — humankind
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. sharp — clever
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. race — a contest
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. race — the arms race
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. dip — to sink
  24. fan — a supporter

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