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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bass · race · spell · racket · track · toast · current · mate

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. current — electric
  3. toast — bread
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. bass — low music
  6. current — of water
  7. bass — the fish
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. spell — a short time
  10. track — a path
  11. track — a song
  12. race — humankind
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. spell — magic
  15. mate — to breed
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. race — the arms race
  20. track — to keep track
  21. spell — letters
  22. mate — a partner
  23. race — a contest
  24. current — happening now

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