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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: toast · rash · race · mate · band · fork · dip · sharp

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. band — a music group
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. toast — bread
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. mate — a partner
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. race — a contest
  10. band — a ring
  11. fork — in a road
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. rash — a series
  14. dip — to sink
  15. race — humankind
  16. rash — hasty
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mate — a friend
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. sharp — clever
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. race — the arms race
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. dip — to dunk

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