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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: sharp · cap · rest · rush · land · race · staff · stick

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. staff — a stick
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — employees
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. cap — a lid
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. rest — what's left
  11. land — to come down
  12. cap — of ice
  13. race — a contest
  14. rush — hurry
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. race — the arms race
  19. rest — a break
  20. sharp — clever
  21. cap — a hat
  22. land — a country
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. race — humankind

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