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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: track · can · game · race · sharp · rule · row · toast

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. race — humankind
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. row — a line
  5. row — to paddle
  6. toast — bread
  7. can — a tin
  8. race — a contest
  9. track — a song
  10. track — a path
  11. race — the arms race
  12. sharp — clever
  13. game — a match
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. rule — a law
  17. track — to keep track
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. game — wild animals
  21. rule — government
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  24. sharp — exactly

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