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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: roll · ball · spring · wake · foot · snap · race · toast

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. ball — a dance
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. toast — bread
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. roll — a list
  10. ball — a great time
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. wake — a trail
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. snap — to click
  17. spring — a coil
  18. race — a contest
  19. spring — the season
  20. foot — a measure
  21. spring — of water
  22. race — the arms race
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. race — humankind

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