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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: last · race · cell · toast · saw · rash · fine · clip

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. race — a contest
  3. clip — to cut
  4. last — to go on
  5. cell — a phone
  6. rash — a series
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. fine — high quality
  9. cell — in biology
  10. saw — the tool
  11. clip — for paper
  12. toast — bread
  13. clip — a video
  14. last — final
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. last — finally
  18. rash — hasty
  19. race — humankind
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. fine — all right
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. saw — the tool

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