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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: drill · branch · sharp · race · rash · toast · ball · cell

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. drill — the tool
  4. branch — a division
  5. rash — a series
  6. race — a contest
  7. toast — bread
  8. drill — a practice
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. ball — a great time
  12. cell — in biology
  13. race — the arms race
  14. drill — army training
  15. race — humankind
  16. rash — hasty
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. cell — a phone
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. ball — a dance
  24. branch — of a bank

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