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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: bay · file · toast · pop · race · can · ground · roll

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  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. pop — to visit
  2. race — a contest
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. toast — bread
  5. can — to be able to
  6. pop — soda
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — the earth
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. file — a line of people
  11. can — a tin
  12. roll — a list
  13. ground — a position
  14. roll — a cake
  15. pop — music
  16. file — a tool
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. race — the arms race
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. can — a tin
  22. file — a document
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  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