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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: clip · race · track · roll · content · rash · toast · lean

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. clip — for paper
  3. toast — bread
  4. lean — to bend
  5. track — a song
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. track — a path
  8. track — to keep track
  9. clip — to cut
  10. rash — hasty
  11. clip — a video
  12. content — the amount
  13. lean — thin
  14. race — humankind
  15. rash — a series
  16. roll — a cake
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — happy
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — the arms race
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. roll — a list

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