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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: race · scale · file · toast · rash · rest · capital · bass

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. capital — a city
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rash — a series
  5. capital — money
  6. file — a document
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. race — the arms race
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bass — the fish
  13. rest — a break
  14. scale — size or range
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. rest — what's left
  20. race — humankind
  21. scale — in music
  22. race — a contest
  23. file — a tool
  24. toast — bread

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