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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 · straw · race · track · spell · perch · present · tear

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. race — humankind
  3. race — a contest
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. present — there
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. toast — bread
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. present — the time now
  11. spell — a short time
  12. present — a gift
  13. track — a song
  14. spell — magic
  15. track — to keep track
  16. perch — the fish
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tear — from crying
  19. race — the arms race
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. track — a path
  22. tear — from crying
  23. spell — letters
  24. perch — for a bird

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