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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: race · straw · capital · stand · toast · last

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. capital — a city
  3. last — final
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. toast — bread
  7. last — finally
  8. race — a contest
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. race — humankind
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. last — to go on
  16. stand — to bear
  17. capital — money
  18. race — the arms race

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