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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: tear · lash · race · tube · club · mark · pitcher · toast

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. club — a group
  3. mark — a trace
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. club — for dancing
  6. tube — the underground
  7. race — a contest
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mark — a grade
  10. toast — bread
  11. race — humankind
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. tube — a container
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tear — from crying
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. club — for golf
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. tear — to rip
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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