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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: firm · bark · suit · court · wind · rest · race · toast

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. bark — to shout
  3. court — for sport
  4. race — humankind
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. rest — a break
  7. court — of law
  8. rest — what's left
  9. suit — to fit
  10. rest — what's left
  11. race — a contest
  12. wind — moving air
  13. suit — in cards
  14. firm — steady
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. race — the arms race
  17. firm — a company
  18. wind — moving air
  19. toast — bread
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. court — of a king
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. firm — decided
  24. suit — clothes

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