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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: pop · toast · race · safe · date · drill · sharp · cell

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. drill — a practice
  3. pop — music
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. cell — in biology
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. sharp — clever
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. race — humankind
  12. cell — a phone
  13. date — the fruit
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. drill — the tool
  16. drill — army training
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. pop — to visit
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — a contest
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. pop — soda
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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