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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: date · toast · mate · race · staff · rest · saw · bulb

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. staff — employees
  3. race — the arms race
  4. race — a contest
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. rest — what's left
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bulb — for light
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. toast — bread
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. staff — employees
  15. rest — a break
  16. mate — a partner
  17. staff — a stick
  18. mate — a friend
  19. bulb — for light
  20. date — the fruit
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. saw — the tool
  23. race — humankind
  24. mate — to breed

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