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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: fork · racket · key · toast · bass · shower · plane · race

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. shower — rain
  3. bass — the fish
  4. fork — in a road
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. race — a contest
  7. key — for a lock
  8. bass — low music
  9. key — in music
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. shower — to wash
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. race — humankind
  17. toast — bread
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. plane — a tool
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. race — the arms race
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. key — the most important part
  24. plane — an aircraft

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