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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: hand · cap · toast · game · race · ruler · sharp · pop

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. pop — to visit
  5. race — the arms race
  6. game — a match
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. game — wild animals
  10. hand — help
  11. sharp — clever
  12. toast — bread
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. pop — music
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. hand — in cards
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cap — of ice
  20. pop — soda
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — humankind
  23. cap — a hat
  24. ruler — a monarch

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