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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: chair · mouse · land · toast · track · fine · mark · race

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. race — the arms race
  3. land — ground
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mark — a trace
  6. race — humankind
  7. chair — a leader
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. toast — bread
  11. mark — a grade
  12. fine — high quality
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. track — a path
  15. race — a contest
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. track — to keep track
  18. land — to come down
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. track — a song
  23. land — a country
  24. fine — all right

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