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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: wind · roll · race · rule · toast · wake · bulb · face

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. roll — a cake
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. race — a contest
  6. toast — bread
  7. race — humankind
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. face — part of the head
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. race — the arms race
  13. face — to confront
  14. roll — a list
  15. rule — government
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. wind — moving air
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. rule — a law
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bulb — for light
  23. face — to point toward
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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