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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: nail · snap · mark · deal · squash · race · spring · toast

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. spring — of water
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. race — humankind
  7. toast — bread
  8. squash — the sport
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — a coil
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. mark — a trace
  14. snap — to click
  15. race — a contest
  16. race — the arms race
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. deal — to handle
  19. mark — a grade
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. squash — to crush
  24. nail — on a finger

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