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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: season · race · rock · rest · clip · wake · toast · chest

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. clip — a video
  4. rest — what's left
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. rock — music
  9. chest — a box
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. season — in sport
  12. chest — of your body
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — to cut
  15. race — humankind
  16. rest — a break
  17. wake — a trail
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. toast — bread
  20. chest — of your body
  21. rest — what's left
  22. season — of the year
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — the arms race

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