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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: cue · bowl · fine · bat · toast · spell · file · race

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. spell — magic
  4. cue — a signal
  5. file — a tool
  6. fine — all right
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. race — the arms race
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. spell — letters
  12. file — a line of people
  13. cue — for pool
  14. race — a contest
  15. bat — the animal
  16. file — a document
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. fine — high quality
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. race — humankind
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. cue — a hint

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