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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: object · toast · race · track · spell · current · pass · season

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. season — in sport
  3. track — to keep track
  4. current — happening now
  5. current — of water
  6. toast — bread
  7. object — to protest
  8. object — an aim
  9. race — a contest
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. current — electric
  12. season — of the year
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. track — a song
  15. object — a thing
  16. spell — a short time
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. spell — magic
  19. race — humankind
  20. race — the arms race
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. track — a path
  23. spell — letters
  24. pass — a permit

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