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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: foot · race · last · track · sharp · dip · cabinet · fan

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. race — a contest
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. track — a path
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. track — to keep track
  9. sharp — clever
  10. last — to go on
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. last — finally
  14. race — the arms race
  15. last — final
  16. foot — a measure
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. track — a song
  20. race — humankind
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. dip — to sink
  24. dip — a sauce

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